Endless Forms Most Beautiful
by sofia313
Summary: "I will always take care of you, sister. I promise." Livia Mikaelson was born disfigured, but to her brother Elijah she was nothing but beautiful.
1. Chapter 1

**One shot for now.**

* * *

 _10th century_

 _"Is mama alright?" Niklaus asked, clearly worried._

 _Elijah took his little brother's hand and squished it reassuringly._

 _"Yes, she will be after the baby is born."_

 _Niklaus pouted his lips as they heard Esther screaming._

 _"She is hurting."_

 _"Yes," Elijah replied. "But she will feel better soon and we will have a new brother or sister."_

 _Niklaus glanced at Finn who was brushing his horse and little Kol who was sitting in the middle of the yard, playing with some pinecones._

 _"I hope we will have a sister," Niklaus said. "A beautiful little baby sister."_

 _Elijah smiled, he was also hoping for a sister. They didn't have to wait for long when it was suddenly very quiet. Then they heard their father shouting._

 _"That thing is not mine!"_

 _"Mikael…" Esther pleaded._

 _Instinctively Elijah stepped in front of Niklaus as Mikael stormed out and marched towards them._

 _"Father?" Elijah started cautiously. "Is everything…"_

 _"No!" Mikael snapped. "Take care of your mother, I need a stein."_

 _Elijah was smart enough for not to say anything as Mikael headed to the village._

 _"'Lijah?" Niklaus murmured._

 _"Wait here," Elijah said and touched his brother's shoulder. Nervously he headed inside and found Esther lying on the furs. There was a tiny bundle in her arms, but she wasn't looking at it. Her face was completely callous._

 _"Mother?"_

 _Esther startled before looking at Elijah._

 _"Is…is the baby alright?"_

 _"No," Esther replied quietly. "Please take her, I can't…"_

 _Elijah was confused as he approached his mother, she handed he bundle to him. There was something wrong with the baby's face. Half of it looked normal, but the other half… It was covered with some kind of scar tissue. Yet Elijah barely noticed that, all he saw were the innocent deep blue eyes that were looking straight at him. He didn't see that the baby was missing few fingers and her left leg was shorter than the right. What he saw was a perfect little creature._

 _"Hello," he murmured and glanced at his mother. "What shall I do with her?"_

 _"Take her outside," Esther replied. "I need to rest."_

 _"But… I think she needs to eat…"_

 _"Give her some goat milk. Please."_

 _"Alright…"_

 _Elijah wanted to point out that he hadn't taken care of a newborn before, but he could tell that it would be useless. His mother wasn't even looking at him. Carefully he carried the baby outside._

 _"Is it a boy or a girl?" Niklaus asked eagerly._

 _"A girl."_

 _"Kol!" Niklaus cheered. "We have a sister!"_

 _Both Finn and Kol walked over to them. Finn frowned when he saw the baby, but he didn't say anything. Kol however did._

 _"Why is she so ugly?"_

 _"She is not ugly," Elijah snapped. "She is our sister."_

 _Niklaus looked disappointed._

 _"She is not what I wanted…"_

 _"She is beautiful," Elijah cut in firmly and headed to the stable. He wasn't going to listen to anyone saying bad things about his little sister._

 _"It's alright…" he murmured and cradled the bundle as gently as he could. She hadn't made a sound, but she was still looking at him. Trustingly. All he wanted was to keep her safe._

 _"I will always take care of you, sister. I promise."_

* * *

New Orleans, present day

"Who is Livia?" Hayley asked.

Klaus had been concentrated on his drink, but now he turned to look at Hayley.

"What?"

Hayley crossed her arms, she looked a bit uncomfortable. She was wearing an oversized shirt, but her pregnancy was showing very clearly.

"Elijah showed me the history of your family and… I just picked up that name. I was wondering who she is."

"Hmm. Is there a reason why you are asking me instead of Elijah?" Klaus huffed.

Hayley bit her bottom lip.

"Never mind, forget the whole thing."

Klaus didn't say anything as Hayley walked out. It was obvious why she hadn't asked Elijah. She liked him and had probably wanted to know what Livia was to Elijah. Well, the answer was very simple. Livia was the most important person in Elijah's life. He had taken care of her when she had been a child and practically raised her. He had defended her and protected her from everyone who had even looked at her the wrong way. He called her his sunlight.

Klaus hadn't seen Livia after the 20's, she and Elijah had left Chicago together. Even now when they were somewhat a family again, Elijah hadn't told Klaus where Livia was. Not that Klaus had asked. He had nothing against Livia and perhaps he even felt some sympathy for her, but he had never had the same kind of relationship with her than he had with Rebekah.

Yet he had to admit that he was curious to know what Livia would have thought about Hayley. Elijah had never dated anyone Livia hadn't liked. Obviously Klaus didn't like the idea of Elijah and Hayley together. She was carrying Klaus' child. Not that Klaus was really worried; in the end Elijah's heart only belonged to one woman. Klaus smiled and raised his glass.

"To you, sister," he murmured. "Wherever you are."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

 _England, 1490_

 _Elijah pressed his lips together as he observed his sister across the hall. She rarely participated in the celebrations Niklaus hosted, but tonight she had made an exception. There were some very important guests here tonight; Niklaus had invited them here to finalize an important agreement. Elijah was aware that his brother needed his help tonight, but right now he was concentrated on Livia. She was wearing a creamy gown and her sandy blonde curls were down, highlighting her beautiful eyes._

 _Everyone in the hall knew who she was, so no one had dared to make any kind of disrespectful comments. She looked radiating, especially now when she was smiling. Her smile could easily light up a room. The young male vampire standing in front of her certainly didn't deserve her smile. Elijah knew perfectly well what this young vampire was trying to do and it infuriated him. He couldn't stand anyone taking advantage of Livia. This arrogant fool wasn't the first one who thought that he could get on Niklaus' good side by courting Livia. Like he would have done her some huge favor._

 _"Well, someone is gloomy this evening," Kol's voice suddenly said._

 _Elijah glanced at his brother briefly, but didn't reply. Kol smiled as he looked at Livia._

 _"Ah. Another knight trying to win the heart of our fair maiden."_

 _"Watch your tongue," Elijah warned coolly._

 _"Easy now, brother, I meant no disrespect. You know I am very fond of our dear sister."_

 _Elijah crossed his arms; he was too annoyed to have this conversation right now. He was aware that both Kol and Niklaus thought that he was way too overprotective of Livia. He wasn't overprotective; he simply wanted to look after his Livy. Of course he wanted to look after Rebekah too, but Livy was more fragile. She needed his protection. Speaking of which…_

 _"Excuse me, brother," he stated and marched across the hall._

 _The young vampire bowed at him._

 _"Good evening, my lord."_

 _"Good evening," Elijah replied coolly and smiled at his sister. "May I have this dance?"_

 _Livy smiled too and gave him her right hand. She had three fingers on that hand and two on her left._

 _"Of course, brother. Excuse us, my lord."_

 _Elijah wrapped his arm protectively around Livy's waist and led her to the middle of the hall. She was limping, as always, but that didn't make her look any less graceful. She had learned to live with her shortcomings and she didn't try to hide them, like she had when they had still been humans. Now she was proud to be who she was. She most definitely should be proud; she was a beautiful young woman._

 _"You look lovely, sister."_

 _"Thank you," she replied smiling. "You don't look too bad yourself."_

 _Elijah glanced at the young vampire over Livy's shoulder. Clearly he had received Elijah's message. Good. Any man would have been lucky to spend time with Livy, but so far Elijah hadn't met anyone who would be good enough for his sister. His sweet Livy always managed to melt him completely with just one smile. He had never been able to deny anything from her._

 _"Are you enjoying the celebration?" he asked._

 _"Not really," she replied._

 _Elijah's eyebrows furrowed._

 _"Have someone…"_

 _"No," she cut in smiling. "Everyone has been very polite to me. Of course they have, they are not fools."_

 _Elijah observed her serene face for a brief moment and instinctively tightened his grip around her waist._

 _"What is the matter then?"_

 _She sighed and glanced at Niklaus who was having a conversation with two lords._

 _"The truth is that I only came here because… Because I heard that tonight is important to our family. I wanted…" She paused and shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose I wanted to be useful for once. Not that I really have been…"_

 _"Livy," Elijah said gently and touched his sister's hair. "You know…"_

 _"Yes, I know," she cut in and cupped his chin. "I know I am a part of this family."_

 _She paused and touched his face._

 _"I also know that I don't belong here and that does not bother me."_

 _Her voice was very calm, but it still cut Elijah. Of course he knew that Livy enjoyed peace and quiet, she had never cared much for celebrations, but he didn't want her to think for a second that she wouldn't be wanted here._

 _"If anyone here bothers you…"_

 _"No, Eli," she said smiling. "You know it makes no difference to me what anyone thinks of me. Anyone except you. And I know you adore me, so therefore everything is fine."_

 _He couldn't help but smile as well._

 _"You know me well, sister."_

 _She grinned and kissed his cheek._

 _"Yes, I do."_

 _They were both quiet for a moment before he spoke._

 _"I don't want you to ever forget how beautiful you are."_

 _She didn't reply, she just smiled. His sweet Livy… He had kept her safe since the moment she had been born and he would keep her safe for as long as he would live. He would kill anyone who would dare to hurt her. Even Niklaus understood that, he had never harmed Livy. That was something Elijah would never forgive. There wasn't anyone he loved more and there never would be._


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Canada, present day

Livia was sitting in the garden, enjoying the lake view. The day was chilly, but she was barefoot, wearing only a light summer dress. Cold had never bothered her. She was lost in her thoughts, enjoying her tea when she suddenly felt something soft touching her leg.

"Hi, Mozart," she said smiling and lifted the big black cat up.

He settled on her lap and purred as she petted him. Livia had always loved animals and she usually enjoyed their company more than any human's. She didn't care if people stared at her, but she didn't enjoy it either. Sometimes there was pity in their eyes, sometimes curiosity or disgust. Some people made rude comments. Livia had been called all kinds of things, but she really didn't care. Yet she preferred spending time with animals. The only person she was completely comfortable with was Elijah.

Thinking about her brother made her sigh, she really missed him. He was in New Orleans at the moment, cleaning up some mess Nik had made. He had lived in this house with Livia for almost ten years before getting a call from Rose. Nothing had been the same after that. Nik had broken his curse, revealed that their other siblings were alright, killed Mikael and got some girl pregnant. Not to mention he had dared to dagger Eli.

Livia had traveled to Virginia after she hadn't been able to reach Eli and she had quickly discovered what had happened. She had found a young vampire called Caroline Forbes and compelled her to tell her everything. After that Livia had made her to forget their whole conversation. Livia had tried to find Nik, but Eli had called her before she had succeeded. Their whole family had been awake. Livia hadn't joined them, she had returned home after a brief meeting with Eli.

He had understood her decision and respected it, just like she had understood why he hadn't come with her. Despite of everything, he had hoped to fix things with Nik. He had hoped that they all could be a family again. Apparently Finn and Kol hadn't agreed, they had left Virginia soon after being undaggered. Not that Livia could really blame them, especially Finn. Rebekah had stayed with Nik, just like always, and Eli had come home. Now he was gone again, she had no idea when he would come back. Livia sighed and kissed Mozart's head.

"Do you miss your daddy?" she murmured. "Me too"

Well, she could travel to New Orleans, but something was stopping her. The truth was that she had enjoyed her peaceful life; she didn't miss all the drama. Of course she was happy that her other siblings were alright, but she had no desire to be controlled by Nik. It was his nature, she understood that, but she didn't feel the need to accept it. She had a life and a home here. She was happy. The only thing missing was Eli and she hoped that he would come home as soon as possible.

"Excuse me, Miss Livia."

Livia startled a little; she hadn't noticed the housekeeper, Arlene.

"Yes?"

"You have a guest."

It was probably someone who was looking for Eli, Livia rarely had any guests.

"Alright, please send this guest here."

Not many people knew where she and Eli lived, so this must be someone who Eli trusted, probably a friend of his. Livia was prepared for a short, but polite conversation; she would say that Eli wasn't here at the moment and offer the guest some refreshments. She barely managed to hide her surprise as she saw the man walking towards her with a bouquet.

"Miss Livia," he greeted her with a polite smile on his face. "Pleasure as always."

"Mr. de Martel," she stated and continued petting the cat on her lap. "To what do I owe the honor?"

He continued smiling and handed the bouquet to her.

"I hope you will accept this modest token of my appreciation."

"They are very lovely, thank you," she replied and placed the flowers on the table. Despite of the situation and her history with this man, she was a polite hostess, so she asked him to take a seat and offered him a cup of tea or coffee.

"So, what brings you here?" she inquired after he had received his tea.

"I was nearby, so I wanted to visit you," he replied smiling.

"I see. How very thoughtful of you."

He was quiet for a brief moment before continuing.

"I wanted to see that everything is alright."

Livia looked at him calmly.

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. de Martel, but everything is fine."

"I…"

"I wouldn't continue if I were you," she cut in firmly. "As I have told you before, do not mistake my manners as weakness or lack of intelligence. I think we both know why you are here."

He didn't reply to that, but obviously she was right. He wanted to know what she was planning to do, was she going to join her family in New Orleans. Livia had no doubt that Tristan knew what was going on; he had all the resources of the Strix. He wanted to make sure that Livia would be safe. Like she would need his protection. Livia stood up; she was still holding the cat. Tristan followed her example, he considered himself a gentleman.

"I'm afraid I have things to do," she stated. "Pleasure as always."

Determinedly she limped inside; she was done talking to him. A long time ago he had taken advantage of her kindness and now he was forced to protect her. Talk about irony… What had happened with Tristan was the only secret Livia had ever kept from Eli. She was willing to bet that Tristan had never told anyone either, he had never come to see her when Eli was home. He was no doubt repulsed by the fact that he was linked to someone like Livia.

Well, that was his problem, not hers. Speaking of problems… She went to her room and sat down on her bed. If Tristan had personally come here, that could only mean one thing. Things were bad in New Orleans and he didn't want Livia to go anywhere near it. According to Eli's last message, they had problems with the witches and with Marcellus, who apparently ruled New Orleans these days. Then there was the werewolf who was carrying Nik's child… Livia sighed and looked at Mozart.

"You know what sweetie? I think it's time for you and me to go and help daddy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

3 days later

"Celeste…" Elijah murmured. "Celeste…"

Hayley bit her bottom lip and tried to decide what to do. Elijah was in a bad shape, thanks to Klaus' bite. Damn him. Elijah was lying on the bed in the small cabin; he looked as pale as a ghost. His hallucinations were getting worse, he had told her many times to leave him. She wasn't going to do that, he needed her. She needed him. Instinctively she touched her swollen stomach. Her child needed him. He would help her to protect this child from Klaus.

"Elijah?" Hayley said and touched his cheek.

"Celeste… My love… Please forgive me…"

Hayley pressed her lips together. She couldn't deny that she felt a nasty sting of jealousy.

"It's okay," she said and took his hand. "You'll be fine."

"My sweet Livy…" he murmured and squished Hayley's hand. "Is that you?"

Who was this Livy then? Another one of his ex-girlfriends?

"No, it's me, Hayley."

"Livy… I'm so glad you're here. I have missed you."

"I'm not…" Hayley started, but decided to let it go.

Wait, Livy… Livia. Elijah hadn't said who she was, but Hayley had been able to tell how important she was to him. Now she could finally find out who this Livia was. No, that would be wrong… Why? All Hayley wanted to know was who this woman was and could she pose a threat to the child. A jealous ex-girlfriend or something.

"Livy…"

"Do you love me?" she asked.

"Of course I do," Elijah murmured. "More than anyone else."

Hayley tensed, she couldn't help it.

"Why? What am I to you?"

Elijah smiled and squished her hand again.

"You're my world, you know that. I would do anything for you. My Livy…"

Hayley startled and jumped to her feet as she suddenly saw someone standing on the other side of the bed. A woman with curly dirty-blonde hair, she was wearing a pink dress. There was something wrong with her face; she certainly wasn't pleasant to look at.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley snapped.

The woman didn't reply, she was staring at Elijah.

"Get away from him," Hayley snarled and moved between her and the bed. "You better crawl back to the Black Lagoon before I…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when a hand grabbed her throat from behind.

"How dare you?" Elijah's voice snarled.

"Elijah…" Hayley gasped.

The woman was looking at them calmly; she placed her hand on Elijah's.

"Eli, stop."

"Livy…"

She leaned closer to Hayley and kissed Elijah's hand.

"Stop."

Hayley coughed and gasped for air when Elijah released her. The woman wrapped her arm around Hayley before she collapsed on the floor.

"It's alright, Miss Marshall."

Hayley glared at her when she helped her to sit down before moving in front of Elijah who was standing behind them.

"Livy…"

"I'm right here," she hummed and kissed his cheek. "Lie down."

He smiled and obeyed without arguing.

"Rest now," she said and stroked his hair. "I will take care of you."

"Who are you?" Hayley asked after a moment of silence.

"My name is Livia," the woman replied calmly, she wasn't looking at Hayley. "Livia Mikaelson."

Hayley's eyes widened.

"So you are…"

"Eli's sister," she finished. "Yes."

Hayley couldn't deny that she was relieved. "Sweet Livy" was Elijah's sister. And even if she wouldn't have been, her appearance… Obviously she wasn't any kind of threat. The woman looked up and glanced at her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Hayley replied.

"Good. I want you to know that Eli would have never attacked a pregnant woman if he would have been himself…"

"I know," Hayley cut in sharply. "I know Elijah."

Livia smiled, she seemed somewhat amused.

"That's nice. Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Good, my car is near the road, you can take it. Here are the keys…"

"Woah, woah," Hayley protested. "I'm not going anywhere without Elijah."

"He needs to rest," Livia replied calmly. "Go home, Miss Marshall, we will join you after Eli is feeling better…"

"Didn't you hear me, I'm not going anywhere," Hayley snapped.

"I heard you. Perhaps I look like the creature of the black lagoon, but there is nothing wrong with my hearing."

Hayley bit her bottom lip.

"Look, I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. I have been called worse." She paused and looked at Hayley. "I'm asking you to let me take care of my brother. Please. Go home and take care of yourself and your child. It seems to me that you need some rest as well."

Hayley couldn't deny that she was exhausted and starving. But leaving Elijah alone with this woman…

"Livy?" Elijah murmured.

"I'm right here," she replied gently and kept stroking Elijah's hair.

"I have missed you…"

"I have missed you too and I will stay right here. You can count on that."

Elijah smiled at her as she stroked his cheek with the only two fingers she had on her left hand. Hayley could understand why Elijah cared so much about this sister. He truly was a good man for wanting to look after her.

"Alright," Hayley said and stood up. "I guess you're right, I could use some rest."

Livia nodded and stood up as well.

"Here are the car keys."

"Thanks. Are you sure you don't need some help…"

"I'm sure, thank you. I will take care of my brother."

"Okay then."

"One more thing," Livia added as Hayley headed to the door. "If you see Nik, please tell him that I want to have a little chat with him. Very soon."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

 _Montana, 1921_

 _Livia's heart was aching as she looked at her beloved brother lying on his bed. There were several empty bottles next to the bed; she had barely seen him sober since they had left Chicago couple of weeks ago. Rebekah, Kol, Finn… They were all gone. Livia knew that Eli blamed himself for it. His poor Eli… Very gently Livia kissed his cheek before pulling a blanket over him. Livia had barely slept in days; she had been too concerned about Eli. Not to mention she needed to take care of all the practical matters._

 _But then again, she wanted to keep herself busy. If she would allow herself to stop and really think about her loss… She couldn't do that, she just couldn't. Maybe she hadn't had the warmest relationship with all her siblings, but they had still been her siblings. Her family. They hadn't deserved such a horrible fate. She knew that Eli would never forgive Nik. Neither would Livia. How could anyone forgive something like this? How could anyone **do** something like this? _

_Of course Livia knew how brutal Nik could be, but she could have never imagined something like this. A part of her wanted to cry, mourn for her siblings, but she couldn't do that. Right now she just needed to concentrate on taking care of Eli. She knew that he needed her more now than ever before. She would be strong for him. Determinedly she stood up, although she would have wanted nothing more than lie down beside him and rest. She couldn't do that right now, there were things she needed to take care of._

 _She needed to make sure that they were safe. Fortunately she had prepared for something like this, although she had thought that the enemy would be Mikael. Any case, no one should be able to find them here. Eli could recover in this house for as long as he needed. There was reliable and qualified staff running the household and Livia had taken care of all the finances._

 _She still had some papers to sign and she was heading to the study when something made her to change her mind. She was too exhausted to concentrate. What she needed was some fresh air. A little walk in the garden. She removed her shoes before stepping outside, she enjoyed walking barefoot. The day had been rainy and grey, but it wasn't raining at the moment. She felt the wet grass under her feet as she made her way through the garden._

 _Tears were burning behind her eyes, but she had no intention to let them out. She couldn't remember the last time she would have cried. The wall she had built around herself had protected her well. The only person she had let behind that wall was Eli. He was the only one who had really seen her behind all her physical flaws. To him she was beautiful. She knew that Rebekah had pitied her. Perhaps so had Finn, Livia really wasn't sure. Kol had just been… Kol._

 _Usually he hadn't paid much attention to Livia, he had been busy with his own things, but he had defended her few times along the centuries, usually by killing people who had been disrespectful to her. All three of them had been her family and now they were gone. Livia stopped and stared in front of her. She had no idea how long she had stood there when she heard someone calling her name._

 _"Miss Livia?"_

 _She recognized the voice immediately. Not now… He was standing in front of her, wearing a navy-blue suit._

 _"Mr. de Martel," she stated, managing to sound completely calm._

 _She didn't react when he took her hand and touched it briefly with his lips. She had no doubt that touching her repulsed him, but he was "a gentleman"._

 _"I apologize for coming here like this."_

 _"Why are you here then?" she asked, although she could already guess the answer. He knew. How wonderful._

 _"I… I wanted to ask if there is anything I can do for you."_

 _"How very kind of you, but everything is fine, thank you for asking," she stated. Her voice was calm, but she certainly wasn't calm. She hated when he did this, pretended that he would actually care about her. She really didn't have enough strength to deal with him right now._

 _"Forgive me, Mr. de Martel, but I'm afraid I can't invite you in. My brother is resting in his room."_

 _"I know," Tristan replied. "I only wanted to express my condolences…"_

 _"Thank you, that was very kind of you. Excuse me."_

 _Livia had to struggle to keep herself together as she limped back inside. If Tristan had thought that she would confide in him or cry on his shoulder, he had most definitely been wrong. He had only hoped to somehow use the whole situation for his advantage, she was sure of it. Unfortunately she knew Tristan de Martel. The link between them was fine by her as long as he kept his distance. If only she could erase everything that had happened all those years ago._

 _No, she didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about anything. All she wanted was to get some rest. Slowly she made her way back to Eli's room and curled up next to him. He sighed in his sleep and wrapped his arms around her. This was the only place she felt completely safe. She buried her face in his chest and finally allowed herself to cry before drifting into sleep._

* * *

Livia held Eli's hand and kept stroking his hair. It seemed that he was feeling better. She blamed herself for not coming here sooner. Clearly her Eli would have needed her. She should have been here to take care of him. If only she wouldn't have been so selfish… She had enjoyed her peaceful life too much to leave it. She hadn't really been ready to face Nik.

Now she most definitely wanted to face him. It seemed that his taste of women hadn't changed, but Livia had to admit that Hayley Marshall wasn't quite what she had expected. Based on what Eli had told Livia about the mother of Nik's child, she had expected someone very different. Obviously Livia had got used to being called all kinds of things, it made no difference to her, but she valued good manners. So did Eli.

Yet he was quite fond of this woman, if Livia had understood correctly. The woman Nik had slept with and who was carrying his child. Livia sighed and closed her eyes. There was definitely something familiar about this. Tatia. It hadn't ended well before and Livia doubted that it would end well now. She was determined to make sure that this time Eli wouldn't get hurt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Elijah let out a weak sigh as he opened his eyes. His head hurt and he felt terrible. What had happened…?

"Eli?"

He forgot everything else when he heard his sister's voice.

"Livy?"

A gentle hand touched his cheek.

"Yes, I'm right here. How are you feeling?"

He blinked few times before he was able to see her face hovering over him. She looked worried.

"I'm fine," he replied smiling.

Her eyebrows furrowed, obviously she could tell that he was lying.

"No, you're not." She paused and sighed. "I'm so sorry; I should have come here sooner…"

"No," Elijah cut in firmly. "You have no reason to apologize."

He remembered now what had happened. Niklaus. Hayley.

"Hayley… Is she…"

"She is fine," Livy said. "I sent her home to get some rest."

Elijah rubbed his temples and tried to get into a sitting position. He wouldn't have succeeded without Livy's help. She flinched as she helped him up. He could tell immediately that she was hurting. Her muscles always stiffened when she didn't move for a while. How long had she sat here with him?

"Turn around," he said.

She shook her head.

"No, I'm fine…"

"Livy," he cut in firmly. "Turn around."

She sighed, but obeyed. His fingers found quickly all the right spots on her back; he had eased her pain by massaging her ever since she had been a child. He felt her body relaxing as he finally reached her neck and shoulders.

"Thank you," she sighed.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"You're welcome."

He had truly missed his Livy.

"How did you find me here?" he asked.

"I tracked your phone," she replied.

"Ah."

"It seems that you just can't stay out of trouble without me."

"So it seems."

They were both quiet for a moment before Livy continued.

"I noticed that you haven't told Miss Marshall about me."

Elijah was just about to ask what she meant, when he remembered. He had attacked Hayley. Why had he…?

 _"You better crawl back to the Black Lagoon…"_

"She is fine," Livy said as Elijah tensed. "She understood that you didn't mean to hurt her."

Elijah didn't say anything. Of course he hadn't meant to hurt Hayley. But what she had said to Livy…

"It's fine, Eli," Livy stated. "I have been called worse…"

Elijah turned her around and cupped her face before she could finish her sentence.

"No, it's not fine."

Livy smiled and touched his cheek.

"I know that you like her and I'm sure she would have acted differently if she would have known who I was."

Elijah pressed his lips together; he couldn't look Livy in the eye. There was no judgment in her voice, but he could tell what she was thinking. Hayley was carrying Nik's child. What was Elijah doing? He couldn't deny that he was somewhat attracted to Hayley, although she wasn't the type of woman he usually found interesting. He really couldn't explain it; they didn't have much anything in common. Was it just some kind of physical attraction? Some kind of need to protect her and the child? Elijah really wasn't sure.

"Livy…"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," she cut in and wrapped her arms around him. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Elijah didn't say anything; he just pressed her tightly against him. Her presence always calmed him. He was able to think clearly. Right now the whole situation was a mess. What he needed to do was take a step back. He couldn't continue like this, not if he didn't want to break his family apart.

"Are you staying?" he murmured.

"Yes," Livy replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Sister," Klaus greeted Livia smiling. "It has been a while."

He had been expecting her and Elijah ever since Hayley had returned. There was no expression on Livia's face as she limped to Klaus and slapped him as hard as she could. His eyes narrowed.

"Watch it…"

She slapped him again before he managed to finish his sentence.

"It's nice to see you too, Nik," she stated and turned around. Elijah gave Klaus a cold glare and wrapped his arm around Livia's waist.

"Come on, Livy. Let's get you settled in."

Klaus's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed a black cat.

"What is that?"

"His name is Mozart," Elijah replied.

"I don't care, that thing is not staying in this house…"

"Come on, Mozart," Livia said, ignoring Klaus.

The cat glanced at Klaus carelessly and followed Elijah and Livia. Klaus snorted and rolled his eyes. How he loved family reunions. He poured himself a drink and tried once again to decide what he thought about Livia's arrival. The good thing was that Elijah would no doubt concentrate on her instead of Hayley.

The bad thing was that she could cause trouble. Klaus had never really been able to control her. He couldn't lay a hand on her, not if he didn't want to destroy his relationship with Elijah for good. But the good thing was that Marcellus didn't dare to lay a hand on her either. That could be useful for Klaus' plans to reclaim the city. Unfortunately Livia had never cared about power or things like that; she had always enjoyed a peaceful life.

"Nik?" Rebekah's voice suddenly said. "Have you seen Elijah?"

"He just went to show Livia her room," Klaus replied carelessly.

Rebekah's eyes widened.

"Livia? She's here?"

"Yes…"

Rebekah zoomed out before he could say anything else. Klaus sighed and emptied his glass. Rebekah got along with Livia, so did Kol and Finn. Klaus however had never been close with her. He had never told anyone the real reason why. When he had been a child, he had felt that Livia had taken Elijah from him. After Livia had been born, Elijah had always been coddling her, giving her the attention he had used to give to Klaus. Of course Klaus didn't care about that anymore, but he had never managed to build a warm relationship with Livia. Maybe that wasn't even possible. Still, perhaps it was time for Klaus to get reacquainted with his sister. They were family after all; they should at least try to get along.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

 _France, 1002_

 _Tristan crossed his arms and looked at the young woman sitting on the ground. Lady Livia, the older daughter of Count de Guise. Many people in the court hadn't understood why the Count had ever acknowledged a daughter like her, they themselves would have been nothing but embarrassed by her. Obviously Count de Guise wasn't embarrassed._

 _According to one of his sons, the Lord Elijah, their father was very fond of Lady Livia. Tristan hadn't really paid much attention to her before, but he had to now. She was in his private garden. He had hoped for a quiet moment for himself, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. Ignoring her wasn't an option, her father was too important. He suppressed a sigh and kept his face free from emotion as he approached her. It seemed that she hadn't noticed him, she was concentrated on…drawing? He frowned, what was she doing?_

 _"My lady," he greeted her._

 _She startled and tried to clumsily get up as quickly as she could. Like a gentleman, he held out his hand and assisted her._

 _"Thank you," she murmured, keeping her eyes on the ground._

 _"I apologize if I startled you," he stated._

 _"That's alright."_

 _She wasn't looking at him; her insecure body language told him clearly how nervous she was. Her long curls were hiding most of her face. It wasn't difficult to tell that she had got used to hiding._

 _"That is a very good drawing," he stated as he glanced at the piece of paper on her hand. She had drawn few of the plants that were growing in the garden._

 _"Thank you."_

 _"Do you enjoy drawing?"_

 _"Yes," she murmured. "I… I like to observe things."_

 _"Observe?"_

 _She nodded._

 _"Plants, animals, the sky. Stars and the moon, they keep changing. I observe and I draw what I see."_

 _Tristan had to admit that he was surprised. She was a strange woman._

 _"That sounds interesting," he stated. "Although I must admit that I have never met a lady who enjoys such things."_

 _She shrugged._

 _"I like to look at the beauty around me."_

 _Tristan hesitated for a brief moment before replying; obviously he needed to be subtle._

 _"Yes, there is plenty of beauty here," he stated and observed Lady Livia's face. Or the part of it he could actually see. Clearly she was very shy, probably ashamed of her appearance._

 _"Please," he said. "Feel free to continue what you were doing, my lady."_

 _"No, I do not wish to disturb you…."_

 _"You are not disturbing me," he assured. "I was merely planning to take a walk before joining my father."_

 _"Oh…" she murmured and finally looked up. "If you are sure, my lord…"_

 _"I am. Please continue."_

 _She sat down on the ground as he walked slowly across the garden. From the corner of his eye he saw that she continued drawing. She concentrated on it completely and tugged her curls behind her ear. As he looked at her face, he noticed her big bright blue eyes. Her face was… He really wasn't sure how he would have described it._

 _For some reason he found himself staring at her. He had no idea why. She was nothing like the women who usually caught his interest. Not that he actually was interested in her, of course not. He was simply curious. It was true that most people wouldn't have called her beautiful, but there was something strangely appealing about her. Tristan really had no idea what that something was._

* * *

Tristan pressed his lips together as he looked at the pictures he had just received. Surveillance photos from New Orleans. She was there. Of course she was, he should have known that she would go to Elijah sooner or later. Tristan sighed and picked one of the pictures up. She was wearing a pink dress and her hair was down. He stared at the picture for a long while.

Livia Mikaelson.

His very own obsession.

Fortunately no one knew about that. No one knew what had happened all those years ago. Tristan had no doubt that he wouldn't be alive if Elijah would know. For some reason Livia hadn't told her brother. Once again Tristan felt the unpleasant sting as he thought about what he had done to her. He was no saint, but he wasn't a savage either. At least so he had thought. How could he ever make up something like that?

The strangest thing was that neither of them had ever brought the whole thing up. When he had finally dared to approach her, he had expected her to hate him. If she did, she hadn't shown it. She had changed so much; she hadn't been that shy and timid girl anymore. She had been a confident and sophisticated woman. A lady who was proud to be herself.

Tristan had liked this new Livia. He have had his people keeping an eye on her ever since he had been able to find her after Elijah's compulsion had ended. She knew about that and she didn't seem to care, as long as he kept his distance. He sighed and closed his eyes. There was no doubt that things would be messy in New Orleans. He needed to make sure that she would be safe.

That was easier said than done, she had made it very clear that she didn't want or need any kind of help from him. It didn't matter; he still needed to make sure that no harm would come to her. He opened his eyes and ran his fingers softly over her picture. Apparently the link between them didn't affect her the same way it affected him. Perhaps it was his punishment.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

"Who's a cute little kitty? You are, yes you are."

Livia covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the look on Mozart's face. The cat wasn't pleased at all. Rebekah had picked him up and was planting kisses all over his head.

"Um, Rebekah…"

"You have a very cute cat."

"Thank you, I think so too."

Mozart glared at Livia as Rebekah placed him on the floor. He tried to look dignified while turning his back on both women. Livia had no doubt that Mozart would pout for a while now, he didn't like anyone else than Livia and Elijah touching him. Unfortunately Livia hadn't had time to tell that to Rebekah. Elijah had just left the room, wanting to give his sisters a chance to catch up. They were both quiet for a moment; Livia really wasn't sure what to say.

"So…" Rebekah finally started. "It has been…what, 90 years?"

"Yes, something like that," Livia replied. "How have you been?"

Rebekah shrugged.

"Same old, same old. I spent most of that time in a coffin. Not a very pleasant experience."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Livia murmured and looked at her sister. "I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't put a dagger in my chest, did you?"

"No, but… I feel that I should have done something more. For you, Kol and Finn. I should have…"

"Alright, enough," Rebekah cut in. "Let's not waste our time with 'should have, could have, would have'. We're both here now; I want to focus on that." She paused and walked over to Livia. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Livia replied. "I have lived a nice boring life and I have enjoyed every moment of it."

Rebekah smiled.

"That's good to hear. And I'm really glad you have looked after Elijah, I don't know how he would have coped without you."

"We have looked after each other."

"Yes, some things never change."

They were both quiet again before Rebekah leaned towards Livia and slowly wrapped her arms around her. Livia startled at first, she couldn't help it. Rebekah hadn't hugged her since… She couldn't even remember when. They had always got along, but Livia wouldn't have called them very close. They have just never had much in common.

When they had been children, the other girls and boys in the village had often picked on Livia and called her all kinds of things. They had sometimes mocked Rebekah too when she had been with Livia. Of course Livia had seen how much that hurt her little sister and she had felt bad for causing Rebekah suffering. She certainly hadn't blamed Rebekah when she had started to avoid Livia's company in public.

The only member of their family who had never had any problem spending time with Livia had always been Eli. No one had dared to be mean to Livia when he had been with her. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to be with her all the time. Livia had learned to somehow deal with all the mockery, but it had still hurt her and destroyed her self-esteem.

It had taken her a long time to rebuild her confidence. Now she didn't care what anyone said. It took a moment before she managed to hug Rebekah back. The whole thing felt foreign, but not unpleasant. Rebekah was the one who spoke first after a long silence.

"Welcome home, sister."

* * *

"Elijah?" Hayley's voice said as he was heading to his room. He stopped and turned to look at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. "How about you? I truly apologize…"

"Don't worry about it, I know you weren't yourself."

Elijah didn't reply to that, he felt strangely tense.

"Well, I'm glad you and the child are alright. Excuse me."

"Wait," Hayley said and stepped in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"To my room. I need to get changed."

"Okay. Can we talk after that?"

"I'm sorry, but I promised to spend this evening with Livy. I have missed her."

"Oh…" Hayley murmured. "Well, she seemed very nice. I would like to get to know her."

"Yes, I'm sure you will, she is staying here," Elijah replied. "Excuse me."

Hayley looked a bit confused as Elijah walked away. He had made his decision and he wasn't going to back down. His family needed to come first. This child was Niklaus' chance for salvation and Elijah certainly wasn't going to take that from him. Elijah was the child's uncle and of course he would be polite to Hayley, but he needed to stop acting like a fool.

That was obviously what Livy thought, although she hadn't said it out loud. She didn't have to; she had always managed to discreetly advice Elijah without giving him any kind of orders or demands. His sweet Livy, she was like an open book. He knew everything about her, just like she knew everything about him. There were no secrets between them, there never had been. Elijah was truly glad about that.

* * *

 _France, 1002_

 _Lucien was in an excellent mood as he walked across the garden. He had just fed on a nobleman. First he had made the arrogant bastard beg for mercy. That had been a perfect moment. Sure Niklaus had said that they shouldn't draw attention to themselves, but Lucien didn't really care. He didn't have to care about anything anymore._

 _He was fast, strong and invincible now. He could make all the nobles beg for mercy. Of course he wasn't going to show them any, but he wanted to hear them beg. After all the humiliations and abuse, he could finally make them all pay. Now that would be a lot of fun. He smiled and enjoyed the cool night breeze on his face. Everything was just… He didn't have time to finish his thought as he bumped into someone. A woman. Almost naked woman, she was trying to cover herself with some rags and her long hair. It took couple of seconds before he recognized her._

 _"Lady Livia?" he murmured disbelievingly._

 _She looked like a frightened deer, her mouth floundered open and closed._

 _"Are you alright?" he asked automatically. He had nothing against her; she had never been anything but kind to him. Her appearance didn't bother him._

 _"Yes," she murmured. "Could you… could you be so kind and get me some clothes?"_

 _"Yes, of course. Wait here, I will be right back."_

 _"Thank you. And… May I ask you another favor? Please… Don't tell anyone."_

 _Lucien raised an eyebrow._

 _"What?"_

 _She swallowed and looked at him._

 _"Please don't tell anyone about this."_

 _He looked at her for few seconds before replying._

 _"I have to ask… Have someone hurt you?"_

 _"No," she murmured. He was pretty sure that she was lying. "Will you keep this between us?"_

 _"Sure, if that is what you want."_

 _She was clearly relieved._

 _"Thank you. I am in your debt and I will repay you when you want me to."_

 _"That won't be necessary…"_

 _"No, I will repay you, I give you my word."_

 _Lucien doubted that he would ever need anything from her, but who knew. Maybe she actually could do something for him someday._


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for all the feedback. The story doesn't completely follow TVD and TO storylines, Kol and Finn didn't die.**

* * *

 **Part 9**

Livia smiled as she kissed her brother's cheek and pulled a blanket over him. He had fallen asleep in the middle of the movie and she hadn't wanted to wake him up. They have had a wonderful evening; they had played chess, talked, drank almost two bottles of an excellent wine and finally started to watch a movie. Livia had really missed her Eli. Apparently so had Mozart, the cat had demanded Eli's attention almost the whole time. Now he was sitting next to the bed, calmly observing Livia. After she was finished tucking Eli in, Mozart approached her and meowed.

"You want to go outside?"

Another meow.

"Alright, let's go then."

Livia was only wearing a short floral print nightgown, but she didn't feel like putting more clothes on. She wanted to enjoy the night air on her skin. The whole house was quiet as she and Mozart headed to the front door. Rebekah had mentioned that she was going out tonight and Livia hadn't seen Nik after her arrival. She didn't know where Hayley was either; Eli hadn't mentioned her at all.

Livia closed her eyes as she stepped outside. She wasn't really sure if she had missed New Orleans, but she did have some pleasant memories of the years she had lived here. And some very unpleasant memories. The fights between Nik and Kol had many times been nasty. They were many ways alike and it had always caused differences between them. The strange thing was that when they did get along, they were like best friends.

Livia wondered where Kol was now; Eli hadn't heard a word from him or Finn after they had left Virginia. Slowly Livia made her way across the garden and looked at the starry sky. She had always enjoyed looking at it and studying it. The peaceful moment didn't last for long when someone appeared next to her.

"Hello, Nik," she greeted her brother without looking at him. She could smell that he was drunk.

"Taking a little midnight walk, are we?" he stated.

"Something like that. How about you?"

"I had some errands to run. Not all of us have the luxury of spending our time doing nothing."

His tone of voice was sharp, Livia smiled as she glanced at him.

"You think I don't do anything?"

"Nothing useful," he replied.

"I see. What do you think I should do then? What would be useful?"

"Oh please," he snorted. "We both know you have no interest doing anything for anyone except yourself and Elijah. You're only here because of him."

Livia crossed her arms and turned to face her brother.

"Why should I be here then?" she asked coolly. "Should I help you cause more pain and suffering? Destroy more lives? Let's face it, that's all you do, Nik. You're toxic."

She hadn't really meant to say that, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. Seeing Eli suffering for so long was something she wasn't willing to simply forget. Nik's eyes darkened dangerously, he took a threatening step towards her.

"You really want to talk about toxic, my dear sister?" he snarled. "Which one of us has ruined Elijah's life? What do you think?"

Livia looked at him coldly.

"I think that we're done here. Good night, Nik…"

"Can't face the truth, can you?" he laughed mockingly. "You're nothing but a little leech that has been sucking the life out of Elijah ever since you were born. He has sacrificed his chance for happiness over and over again, all because of you. Because "his poor little Livy" needs him. It would have been better for everyone if you would have never been born…"

"I can say the same about your child!" she shouted. "No one deserves a father like you…"

The next thing she felt was Nik's fist hitting her face so hard that she lost balance and fell on the ground. Blood was pouring out of her nose as she got into a sitting position, ready to defend herself. Nik was staring at her, he made to attempt to attack her.

"Livia…" he murmured. "I… I didn't mean…"

He didn't continue, they were both quiet for a long while. Finally he sat down beside her. She was the one who spoke first.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said about your child."

"It was true, wasn't it?" he huffed. "What kind of a father can I be to anyone?"

"A good one," she replied. "After what you went through when you were a child, I have no doubt that you will never let anything like that happen to your child."

He didn't reply to that, they were both quiet again.

"Forgive me," he finally murmured.

Slowly she took his hand and squished it. It didn't fix everything between them, but it was a start. She didn't want to fight with him. Despite of everything, he was her brother. She startled as she suddenly felt something touching her arm. Mozart.

"Hey…" she murmured and picked the cat up. He was looking at Nik suspiciously.

"Oh great, it's you again," he snorted.

"What do you have against cats?" she asked.

"You could ask what they have against me," he huffed. "They're always hissing at me, perhaps they can sense my wolf side."

Livia looked at Mozart, he wasn't hissing, but he was clearly cautious.

"Mozart," she said calmly. "This is your uncle Nik, no need to fear him."

"I'm not his uncle…" Nik tried to protest, but Livia silenced him by taking his hand.

"Look, sweetie."

Nik rolled his eyes, but he didn't try to pull his hand away as Mozart sniffed it. Very carefully Livia guided Nik's hand closer, showing him how to pet Mozart. After a while the cat was purring.

"See?" Livia said smiling. "You're going to be a great father."

Nik looked up and smiled at her.

"Thank you, sister."


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

"Klaus hit her?" Tristan stated, struggling to keep his voice free from emotion. "And where was Elijah?"

 _"He was inside, sir,"_ Dixon replied. He was one of Tristan's best spies, signed to especially keep an eye on Livia. Of course he wasn't the only one; there was a whole team of them.

Tristan squished his phone for a brief moment before he was able to continue.

"Was she injured?"

 _"Not badly. She and her brother talked after that and apparently they reached some kind of understanding."_

"Hmm."

 _"Any new orders, sir?"_

"No. Keep watching her."

 _"Yes, sir. I'll be in touch."_

Tristan stared at the pictures on his desk for a moment after hanging up. Livia… She was standing in the garden barefoot, looking up at the night sky. She was wearing a short womanly nightgown. The picture had captured the vulnerable part of her so perfectly. Tristan felt guilty at the way he was violating her privacy, but he couldn't look away. She was perfect. She really was. If only…

No, he needed to get a grip and stop this. His only goal was to make sure that she would be safe, nothing else. Yes, he was one of eldest and the most powerful vampires in the world and he could never have what he wanted the most. It was pathetic really. Fortunately no one knew, he hadn't told even Aurora. Everyone saw him as nothing but cold and ruthless and he wanted to keep things like that. He couldn't have weaknesses. He _didn't_ have weaknesses.

Angrily he brushed all the pictures off his desk. This would end right now. He had plenty of work to do; he was the leader of the Strix. There were many reports that required his undivided attention. Unfortunately he barely managed to get started as his phone rang. Dixon. Despite of his earlier decision, Tristan answered immediately. He had to; it could be some kind of an emergency.

"Yes?"

 _"Sir, it's Dixon. I have some news that I though you would like to hear right away."_

"What news?"

 _"Kol Mikaelson is in New Orleans. One of my men just saw him."_

Tristan took couple of seconds to process this information.

"I see. Where was he?"

 _"Near Marcel's place, he killed few local vampires who told him to… move along."_

"Hmm, not very smart of them," Tristan murmured. "Kol Mikaelson has always been unstable and unpredictable."

 _"Yes, so I have heard,"_ Dixon replied. _"Your orders, sir?"_

"Nothing new," Tristan replied. "Continue observing Livia Mikaelson."

 _"Yes, sir."_

Tristan definitely couldn't concentrate on work anymore. Kol Mikaelson…. Just perfect. Like things wouldn't have been messy enough already. Once again Tristan hoped that Livia would have stayed in Canada. She had been happy there. Happy and safe. Away from the unstable members of her family. Klaus was a savage and wherever Kol went, chaos tended to follow. Tristan hadn't spoken with Kol after that night and he wanted to keep things like that. All he cared about was Livia's safety.

* * *

 _France, 1002_

 _"We must do this," Elijah stated. "Will you help me?"_

 _Kol looked at his older brother and nodded._

 _"Yes, I have no problem with this. I think it's a great idea."_

 _Elijah pressed his lips together; Kol could tell that he wasn't completely comfortable doing this. Basically they would sacrifice Lucien, Aurora and Tristan in order to buy enough time to escape from Mikael. Kol really didn't have any kind of problem with that._

 _"Lucien and Aurora are out of control and Tristan…" Elijah started._

 _"You do not have to explain anything to me," Kol cut in. "But I have to ask… Why on Earth did you turn Tristan?"_

 _Elijah's expression tensed, he looked kind of…guilty._

 _"I…" he murmured._

 _Kol's lips curved into a smirk as he understood what Elijah didn't want to say._

 _"You turned him so he could play the part of fake you. Well, well, brother, I must say that I am impressed…"_

 _"We do not have much time," Elijah cut in tensely. "We need to find them and leave tonight."_

 _"Alright, let's get started then. I will start with the premises; you go and check their chambers."_

 _Elijah nodded._

 _"Sounds good. Meet me here as soon as you can."_

 _Kol smirked as he noticed that Elijah had three horses ready for their decoy. Tristan would be a perfect Elijah and Lucien a perfect Nik. Aurora wasn't really anything like Bekah, but she would have to do. Kol didn't have to look for long when he spotted Tristan coming from the garden. There was something very strange about him. For the first time the arrogant lord didn't really look so arrogant. He looked shocked and he startled when Kol appeared in front of him._

 _"Lord Tristan," Kol greeted him smiling. "Good evening."_

 _Tristan's mouth floundered open and closed, he was staring at Kol. There was blood on his face._

 _"I…" Tristan muttered. "I did not mean… I swear…"_

 _Kol rolled his eyes, who would have known that "the merciless" lord would actually be so weak and pathetic._

 _"There, there," Kol huffed. "So you drained someone. That is completely normal…"_

 _"No," Tristan muttered. "I… She… I did not mean…"_

 _"Yes, yes, I am sure you didn't. Come with me."_

 _Surprisingly Tristan actually followed him without arguing. For a moment Kol couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Not that it really mattered; he had more important things to worry about. Tristan's problems were the last thing he cared about._


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

 _10th century_

 _"Eli? Eli?"_

 _Elijah opened his eyes and saw Livy's face hovering over him. The room was dark, there was only dim candlelight. He was immediately fully awake and quickly got into a sitting position. He had his own small living quarters, all ready for him and his future wife, if and when he would get married. Livy often spent time here, but she didn't usually come here in the middle of the night._

 _"What is wrong?" he asked._

 _She blinked few times before replying._

 _"I… May I sleep here?"_

 _"Yes, of course. Have something happened?"_

 _She didn't say anything, she just bowed her head._

 _"Livy? Tell me."_

 _"I… I had a nightmare," she murmured._

 _"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?"_

 _She shook her head; she still wasn't looking at him. He could tell that something was wrong, but he didn't want to pressure her._

 _"Alright. Let's get some sleep then."_

 _She nodded gratefully and lied down beside him. They were both quiet for a moment before she spoke._

 _"Eli?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I am afraid."_

 _He rolled on his side and looked at her._

 _"What? Have someone hurt you?"_

 _"No, but…"_

 _He moved closer and touched her cheek._

 _"What? Please tell me."_

 _She swallowed and blinked nervously._

 _"Father… He… He said… He has tried to find me a husband."_

 _Elijah's eyes widened._

 _"What? Has he lost his mind, you are a child!"_

 _She was 15, there was no chance Elijah would let his father do this. Just the thought of giving Livy to some worthless…_

 _"No one wants me," she murmured. "No matter what kind of dowry I have."_

 _"That is not true…"_

 _"It is, father said so. I am too ugly."_

 _Her eyes were watering up and she let out a heartbreaking sob. Her tears were always like a knife in Elijah's heart, he couldn't bear to see her sad._

 _"Hey…" He paused and cupped her face. "I want you to listen to me, Livy. You are not ugly, far from it. You are beautiful."_

 _"No…"_

 _"Yes, you are. My beautiful Livy. I do not want you to worry about anything; I will take care of you. You will always have a home with me."_

 _"You will get married…"_

 _"It does not matter. You will always come first."_

 _Finally she looked at him and smiled._

 _"Always?"_

 _He smiled too and nodded before kissing her forehead._

 _"Always."_

 _He meant it; she was the most important person to him. He had been extremely protective of her ever since she had been born. Some of the boys in the village had learned that the hard way after making her cry. Elijah was usually quite calm, he didn't lose his temper easily, but when he did... He had taught those boys a lesson they would never forget. Anyone who hurt Livy would have to face the most unpleasant part of Elijah. He was going to keep her safe, no matter what._

* * *

Elijah smiled as he opened his eyes and saw Livy sleeping beside him. He had missed her calming presence more than he had realized. She had always been there for him; he knew that he could count on her. Mozart was sleeping between them, curled up into a ball. The cat had been with them for almost 10 years. Livy had found the poor thing starving and badly injured and brought him home.

They have always had pets, Livy loved animals. She also loved studying new things; Elijah had always admired her intelligence and enjoyed their conversations. Any man would have been lucky to have her, but Elijah didn't think that there was a man good enough for her. It was true that he hadn't liked men approaching her, but he had only thought what was best for her.

Besides, she hadn't really shown interest toward any man. If she would, Elijah would accept that. At least so he kept telling to himself. Of course the suitor needed to be suitable and worthy of Livy. So far Elijah hadn't met anyone who would be. She had couple of male friends, including Lucien Castle, for some incomprehensible reason, but as far as Elijah knew, she had never had romantic feelings toward anyone.

Elijah couldn't deny that he was secretly glad about that. Sharing Livy wasn't something he wanted to do. Of course her happiness was important to him and if she would someday find someone… Someone good enough. Then of course Elijah would accept that.

"Hey," he said when she opened her eyes.

"Hi," she replied smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you. How about you?"

"Yes."

"Did you finish the movie?"

She shook her head.

"No, Mozart wanted to go outside. I ran into Nik."

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed.

"Did he…"

"We talked," Livy cut in. "I think we managed to settle some things. I don't approve the things he has done, but I don't want to fight with him. If you have forgiven him…"

Elijah sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I suppose I have. Niklaus is who he is, but I still have hope. I want to believe that this child could be his salvation."

"I believe so too. I think he already loves his child, like a father should. Despite of everything, he deserves this chance."

Elijah bit his bottom lip; he understood what Livy was trying to say.

"Yes, he does and he will have this chance."

Livy smiled gently and touched his face.

"Eli, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I… I don't know. My mind knew the whole time that what I was doing with Hayley was wrong, but… Perhaps in some way I was jealous. I can never have what Niklaus will have."

He would have never admitted that to anyone else, but as he said it out loud, he understood that it was the truth.

"I'm sorry," Livy said quietly and wrapped her arms around him. "I…"

A knock on the door cut off her sentence, the door opened before Elijah had time to say anything.

"Elijah?" Hayley's voice said as she entered his room. "Could you…"

She froze when she saw him and Livy, she looked stunned.

"Oh… I'm sorry; I didn't know you have…company."

"Good morning, Miss Marshall," Livy said politely as both her and Elijah got into a sitting position. Mozart opened his eyes and glanced at Hayley carelessly before closing them again.

"Good morning," Hayley replied after clearing her throat. "I didn't know you're staying in Elijah's room."

"I'm not, I have my own room."

"Right…"

"Did you need something, Hayley?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could come with me back to the swamp. In case we can find any leads about the wolves."

"Sure." Elijah paused and looked at Livy. "Do you want to join us, sister?"

"Of course," Livy replied smiling. "Happy to help."

"Great," Hayley said. "That's… great."

"Perhaps Nik would also like to join us?" Livy suggested.

"Are you serious?" Hayley asked disbelievingly. "He just bit Elijah yesterday."

"Yes, I know, but he is our brother and you are the mother of his child. Surely he wants to help."

"I don't need his help," Hayley replied sharply and crossed her arms.

"I think Livy is right," Elijah stated calmly. "We should inform Niklaus what is going on."

"This isn't any of his business…"

"He is the child's father," Elijah cut in. "I have no doubt that he wants you both to be safe."

Hayley stared at Elijah disbelievingly before turning around and marching out. That had been harder than Elijah had thought, but he knew he had done the right thing. Of course he would look after Hayley and the child if that would be necessary, but he would be nothing more than an uncle. Niklaus was the child's father. He sighed as he felt Livy taking his hand. He had done the right thing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12**

7 months later

"Hey…" Livia said smiling as she rocked he little niece in her arms. "You are so beautiful, Hope. A little princess. Yes, you are."

The baby looked at Livia and smiled. It was a sweet, innocent smile. She didn't yet know about anything bad, all she knew was how much she was loved. Livia would have given anything if she could have kept things like that. She wanted to protect little Hope from all the bad things in the world. She knew that her whole family felt the same way. Even Kol, although he had tried to hide it.

It was amazing what kind of power this tiny little girl had. She had managed to wrap the deadliest creatures in the world around her little finger without any effort. Nik worshiped her, so did Eli and Rebekah. And so did her new stepfather, Jackson. He adored Hayley and Livia knew that he loved Hope. Nik didn't like Hope spending time with Jackson, but somehow they had managed to work things out. At least for now.

Jackson was a good man, a werewolf or not, and he was treating Hayley like a queen. Still Livia knew that Hayley would never forgive her. She thought that Livia had turned Eli against her. She had never said that out loud, but she really didn't have to, Livia could tell that by the way Hayley looked at her.

"Sweet little Hope…" she murmured.

So much had changed after Livia had arrived to New Orleans. Nik was "the king" now and their family was ruling the city. Marcel was a part of their family now; he and Rebekah were together again. Nik was still Nik, although he was a very good father for Hope. And Kol was still… Kol. He loved to cause trouble whenever he could. Livia had spent a lot of time with Eli. She had been a little worried about him, but he seemed to be fine now. She wanted nothing more than him to be happy.

"Hey Liv," Kol's voice suddenly said.

Livia looked up and saw him standing in the nursery's doorway.

"Hi. What brings you here?"

He grinned.

"Just wanted to give you the heads up; mommy wolf is here."

"Oh…"

Livia stood up as carefully as she could; Hope had fallen asleep in her arms. She didn't have time to limp over to Hope's crib when Hayley marched in. Clearly she wasn't pleased to see Livia holding Hope.

"Hello Hayley," she greeted her politely.

"Livia," Hayley replied coolly and walked over to her. "Are you supporting her neck?"

"Yes, I…"

"Can I have my daughter, please?"

"Yes, of course."

Very carefully Livia gave Hope to Hayley.

"She just fell asleep," Livia said. "I fed her before that."

"Thank you," Hayley replied.

"My pleasure. She's a lovely child."

"Yeah, she is."

"Alright…" Livia said after a moment of silence. "It was nice to see you. Excuse me."

"Ouch," Kol hummed when Livia was in the hallway. "She really doesn't like you, does she?"

"No, I suppose she doesn't," Livia replied.

"Hmm. Well I say that's her problem. Do you want me to have a word with her?"

Livia smiled and shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, thank you."

"Alright, but let me know if you change your mind. You know I don't like people being rude to my sister."

Livia stepped in front of him and kissed his cheek.

"You can be very sweet when you want to be."

Kol smirked and tapped her shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation, you know."

"Yes, I know. I'll see you later, brother. Be nice."

"Never."

Livia smiled as she headed to her room. They were staying in the compound now and she had spent a lot of time decorating her room just the way she liked it. Eli's room was next to hers, she had often slept in his bed. Right now he was out running errands, so she planned to concentrate on Mozart and the new book Eli had given to her. The cat was sleeping in her bed, she petted him while reading. She could barely get started when her phone rang. Her eyes widened when she saw the name on the screen.

"Lucien?" she answered.

 _"Hello Livia. How are you?"_

"I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

 _"Great."_

"That's nice. What can I do for you?"

 _"Well… I was hoping I could ask you to do a small favor for me."_

That wasn't really a surprise. A long time ago Livia had promised Lucien to repay his help and she had kept her promise. He never asked much, usually he needed her help with some old artifact or text. She had studied a lot during the last 1000 years, she have had plenty of time in her hands.

"Alright, where are you?"

 _"I'm actually in New Orleans and I was hoping you could drop by to see me."_

"Sure, I think that can be arranged."

 _"Wonderful! You're an angel, my darling."_

"And you're the devil," she replied smiling. As strange as it was, she actually liked Lucien. They had become friends along the years.

 _"Yeah, I know. I'll send a car to pick you up. I'll see you soon."_

* * *

"What?" Tristan asked after he was sure that he could keep his voice calm.

 _"Lucien Castle is here, sir,"_ Dixon repeated. _"Miss Mikaelson just went to his hotel suite."_

Tristan gritted his teeth, trying to force himself to calm down. Livia had met Lucien before; there was nothing new about it. Nothing had happened between them. Still, Tristan didn't trust Lucien at all. He couldn't understand why Livia wanted to have anything to do with him. Why did Elijah allow this to happen? Livia wasn't safe with Lucien. Especially if she was alone with him…

 _"Sir? Your orders?"_

Tristan cleared his throat before replying.

"I'm coming there myself."

 _"Yes, sir."_

Tristan really wasn't sure what he was doing, but he needed to be close enough to help her, if she would be in any kind of danger. He had thought that she would be safe now when her family had managed to reclaim New Orleans. He had planned to keep his distance, just like she wanted. Yet he couldn't deny that a part of him was more than eager to see her. That was the problem; he wanted to do much more than just look at her.

He wanted what he could never have. She was his very own forbidden fruit. If only he would have never tasted that fruit… Before that night he had always been proud of his perfect self-control. He had never lost control like that. Unfortunately he couldn't undo what he had done. He could however make sure that nothing bad would ever happen to her again. He owed her at least that much.


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

"There's my lady!" Lucien said cheerfully and kissed Livia's cheeks. "Come in, come in!"

Livia wasn't surprised as she entered the most luxurious suite in the hotel. Lucien certainly wasn't modest, he loved luxury.

"Lovely dress," he commented.

"Thank you," Livia replied. She rarely wore pants, she liked dresses. They made her feel a little more feminine, although she certainly didn't expect men to notice her. It didn't matter, she was fine with her appearance and she liked to highlight her femininity with clothes, nice coiffures and sometimes perfume or jewelry. Right now she was wearing a light creamy dress that left her shoulders bare. Her shoes had to be comfortable; obviously she couldn't wear high heels. Decorating her shoes to make them unique was one of her favorite hobbies, she found it very relaxing.

"So," Lucien said. "What can I get you? Tea?"

"That would be nice, thank you," she replied. She rarely drank alcohol and Lucien knew that, he already had a tea tray ready. She sat down on a nice dark brown sofa and took a teacup he offered to her.

"Thank you. How long have you stayed here?"

"I just arrived," he replied. "I have some business here. And of course I heard that your family is back in town."

"Ah. Are you planning to meet Nik?"

"I'm not sure yet." He paused and smiled. "You, my lovely, are the Mikaelson I wanted to see."

"Hmm. Tell me about this favor then."

"Well, I was hoping you could take a look at an old parchment I recently purchased. I have had some trouble translating it."

"I see. Where is it from?"

"Greece, I believe. I was told that it's a page from a very old grimoire."

"Sounds interesting," Livia replied. "I'll be happy to take a look."

Lucien smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. And as always, I'm glad to see you." He paused and leaned towards her. "So, are you ready to leave that brother of yours already and run away with me?"

She smiled.

"Oh Lucien, we have talked about this before. You couldn't handle me."

"That sounded like a challenge," he purred. "You know I love challenges."

"As much as looking at your reflection in the mirror?" she asked innocently.

"Pretty much," he chuckled. "But can you really say that you wouldn't enjoy looking at me?"

No, she couldn't really say that. He was a very handsome man and she couldn't deny that she liked his harmless flirting. Of course she knew that it didn't mean anything, he flirted with pretty much all women, but it was still nice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I like nice men."

He looked shocked.

"You don't think I'm a nice man?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Well are you?"

"No," he replied smiling. "But you still like me."

"Maybe sometimes," she taunted.

She did like him and considered him as her friend. He had kept his promise and had never told anyone about that night. When they had run into each other back in the 14th century, she had thought that he had planned to blackmail her. He hadn't, he had been very polite. That had been surprising, considering what Eli had done to him, Tristan and Aurora. Livia had learned about it after she and her family had left France. She had noticed that something was bothering Eli and finally he had told her what he had done.

She hadn't approved it, but she had understood why he had done it. He had wanted to protect their family. Lucien had told her that of course he had been angry after the compulsion had ended, but he had eventually decided that he wanted to focus on his new life instead of bitterness. That had been one of the reasons why Livia had helped him with some small things he had asked.

He had never mentioned that night or her promise to him; he had simply asked for her help and been grateful for it. He had never implied that she would be obliged to help him. And he had never asked her to do anything she wouldn't have wanted to do. Of course she would have refused if he would have. The truth was that she liked his company, he was fun and charming. And he had always treated her respectfully. That wasn't something she took for granted.

"I knew it," he purred. "And one of these days I will conquer your heart, darling."

"I doubt that," she replied and put her empty teacup back on the tray. "So, can I see this parchment?"

* * *

Lucien looked at the sleeping woman on the sofa. The coffee table was full of books and notes; she had worked very hard for the translation. He had noticed how passionate she was when something caught her interest. She was a very intelligent woman. That was something he respected. It was strange really, who would have ever thought that he would actually become fond of her? The truth was that he had only planned to use her to get back at Elijah. He had thought that it would be easy to manipulate her.

Then something had happened. He had found himself enjoying her company. She wasn't like the other women he usually spent time with. He was actually interested in hearing what she had to say. Her company was pleasant and somehow soothing. He could certainly understand why Elijah was so fond of her. And her appearance… Lucien didn't consider her ugly, just different. She was graceful; she had a nice body, beautiful eyes and lovely hair. And she was genuine; there was nothing artificial about her.

He thought that she underestimated herself. He could have taken her to his bed, if he wouldn't have actually respected her. She deserved more than what he could offer. Lucien wasn't the kind of man who settled down and was loyal to one woman. All he could have offered her was some casual sex. He had sometimes wondered if she had ever had sex after that night. Obviously something very bad had happened to her. They had never talked about it, clearly she didn't want to. And she didn't want anyone to know what had happened.

Lucien had wondered why and the only explanation he had managed to come up with certainly wasn't pleasant. She was protecting her attacker. No human could have done it, so that left only few options. One of her brothers or Tristan. There was no reason why she would have protected Tristan, so Lucien suspected that it had in fact been one of her brothers. Kol was Lucien's best guess; he was the vilest one of them. Lucien doubted that it would have been Finn or Klaus, but it could have been Elijah. Livia would have most certainly protected him.

The whole thought was nothing but disgusting and Lucien truly hoped that he was mistaken. He most certainly wasn't going to ever speak about it to anyone. He sighed and touched Livia's soft curls. Should he wake her up? No, he would let her sleep. She had mentioned that she had left a note in her room if anyone would miss her. Carefully he pulled a blanket over her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, darling."


	14. Chapter 14

**Part 14**

Tristan couldn't take it anymore. Livia had been in Lucien's suite the whole night. That had never happened before. Something was wrong, Tristan was sure of it. If Lucien had hurt her… Where the hell was Elijah? According to one of Dixon's men, he hadn't returned to the compound. He should have been here to look after Livia.

Tristan gritted his teeth and squished the steering wheel. He was sitting in a car in front of the hotel where Lucien was staying. He couldn't wait any longer; he needed to make sure that Livia was alright. He got out of the car and marched inside. Lucien's suite was on the top floor, as usual. Tristan kept his face completely callous as he knocked on the door. It took a while before the door opened by Lucien. He was wearing nothing except a towel wrapped around his lower body. Tristan's eyes narrowed.

"Well," Lucien said smirking. "This is a surprise. What brings you here?"

"Livia Mikaelson," Tristan replied coolly. "I need to speak to her."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Right. I'm not going to even ask how you know that she's here, but you can't speak to her right now, she's sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Tristan repeated.

Lucien's smirk grew wider.

"Yes, that's right. We had a very long night and the lady needs her rest."

Tristan couldn't control himself; he shoved Lucien aside and marched in. He needed to see Livia. Unfortunately Lucien blocked his way.

"I don't believe that I invited you in," he stated.

"And I would move if I were you," Tristan replied icily.

Lucien's eyes widened.

"Oh my," he chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"What is going on here?" Livia's voice asked before Tristan managed to reply. She was wearing a creamy dress that truly complimented her body. She was beautiful.

"Everything is alright, darling," Lucien replied smiling. "Tristan was just leaving…"

"May I have a word with you?" Tristan asked, ignoring Lucien. His eyes were scanning Livia, looking for any kind of injuries. "In private," he added.

She seemed slightly confused and irritated for a brief moment before replying.

"This is not the best time, Mr. de Martel…"

"All I'm asking is couple of minutes. Please. I wouldn't ask if this wouldn't be important."

She hesitated for a moment before nodding rigidly.

"Alright, you can have couple of minutes."

"Thank you. May I offer you a cup of tea downstairs?"

"Fine." She paused and turned to look at Lucien. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure darling if you really want to go with him?"

"Yes. I will be right back."

He smiled and touched her hair.

"I'll be waiting."

Tristan had to struggle in order to control himself, how dared Lucien touch her like that?

"Is everything alright, Miss Livia?" Tristan asked as soon as they were in the elevator.

She seemed confused as she looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You were in there the whole night," he said as calmly as he could. "Did Lucien…"

"Did he what?" Livia asked sharply.

Tristan bowed his head, he couldn't face her.

"Did he hurt you?"

She didn't say anything before the elevator doors opened.

"Why are you asking that?" she stated coolly and marched out. He followed her, still struggling to control himself.

"You know why," he murmured.

"Of course I do," she snorted. "Because you care so much about me?"

"Yes, I do…"

She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Alright, I'm done with this game of yours. I understand that the link between us forces you to "protect" me, that's the only reason why I have tolerated your people following me around. What I won't tolerate anymore is this…charade. We both know how you really feel about me and I want you to stop insulting my intelligence by pretending that you would actually care about me."

Tristan forced himself to look at her. There was still a hint of vulnerability in her blue eyes. He could still remember very clearly how she had looked at him all those years ago. The memory filled him with guilt and shame.

"Livia… You have every right to hate me, I don't except you not to. I am deeply sorry about what I did; I hope you can believe that."

She looked at him for a moment before replying.

"You were honest," she huffed. "Why should you apologize for that?"

Tristan stared at her disbelievingly.

"What?"

"I saw the loathing and disgust in your eyes," she stated icily. "I believe that's the only time you have actually been honest to me."

Tristan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely they weren't talking about the same night.

"No, that's not…" He paused and took a hold of her arm, gently leading her away from the lobby. She didn't resist as he led her to the empty hallway.

"Livia," he started. "We both know what I did to you and I can assure you that it was the greatest mistake I have ever made."

She flinched, like he would have slapped her.

"I see," she stated icily. "Thank you for making that clear. If there wasn't anything else, I believe I will go back to Lucien now."

"Don't," Tristan said tensely. "I know how this must sound coming from me, but you shouldn't trust him. You deserve so much better."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Does it amuse you to mock me?"

"What, no! I'm not mocking you…"

"Stop it!" she shouted and shoved him against the wall. He had never heard her raising her voice before. "You already made it clear how much I disgust you, what more do you want?!"

He stared at her disbelievingly.

"What? No, I didn't say… You don't disgust me."

"Really?" she snorted. "You just said that what happened was the greatest mistake you have ever made."

"It was," he murmured. "I… I have never been a kind man, but I had never… forced myself on a woman. I truly am sorry…"

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You know what. I raped you."

Her eyes widened, she looked completely stunned.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did, there's no point denying it. I attacked you…"

"Yes, that part is true," she stated. "And yes, you did feed on me against my will, but what happened after that… Surely you know that I could have stopped you if I would have wanted to."

Tristan's mouth floundered open and closed, he had no idea what to think.

"What…what are you saying? Why would you…"

"I was curious," she muttered. "I wanted to know what all the fuzz was about and since you wanted it…"

It took a long while before Tristan managed to speak.

"But… I hurt you…"

"Yes, I would have appreciated if you would have been a bit gentler, but you didn't force yourself on me."

Tristan felt that he needed to sit down, this was just… He couldn't believe it. They were both quiet for a long while before Livia spoke.

"You have thought for all these years…"

"Yes."

"Oh… It all makes sense now. Why you thought that you have to pretend to care about me. Well, you don't have to anymore, your conscience is clear."

Slowly he looked at her.

"I wasn't pretending."

She blinked couple of times before replying.

"I saw the way you looked at me…"

"I wasn't disgusted with you," he cut in. "I was disgusted with myself. When I saw you lying under me and I realized what I had done…"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You didn't deserve to live with such a burden. I hope you all the best from now on."

They were both quiet again. Tristan was slowly starting to understand what this meant. He had a chance with Livia. He didn't care how much work it would take, he was going to make her his. Just like he had wanted for the last thousand years.


	15. Chapter 15

**Part 15**

Elijah was sitting on the armchair, petting the sleeping cat. He was very tense, although he tried to convince himself how ridiculous his reaction was. Livy wasn't a child; she was more than capable of looking after herself. Yes, maybe, but… He still didn't like this. He had been out almost the whole night and returned early in the morning only to discover that Livy wasn't here. According to the note she had left, she was meeting a friend. She had been gone since last night, she had asked one of the maids to look after Mozart.

Something like this hadn't happened before; she had never just left and spent the whole night with some "friend". Where was she? What if something had happened to her? She had left her phone here, so he couldn't even call her. He should go and look for her… No, she wasn't a child. She could look after herself. But what if… This wasn't like her at all. Who was this friend?

Elijah pressed his lips together as a very unpleasant thought crossed his mind. What if Livy had met some man? No, that wasn't… What if she had? She wasn't a child. So he kept telling to himself, but it didn't really help. This was _his_ Livy. He needed to know that she was safe. He needed to… The door opened before he had time to finish his thought.

"Livy," he said as soon as she entered the room.

"Hi, Eli," she replied smiling. "Good morning."

"Where have you been?" he asked, he was unable to control himself. "I was worried."

"I'm sorry," she said, looking guilty. "I left a note…"

"Yes, I saw it, but you didn't say that you would be gone the whole night."

"That wasn't my intention," she replied. "I went to see Lucien; he had purchased a very interesting parchment."

Elijah's eyes narrowed, he couldn't help it.

"Lucien?"

"Yes, I helped him translating the parchment and I fell asleep on his sofa. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."

Again Elijah was aware of how ridiculous his reaction was, but he couldn't help it. He didn't trust Lucien at all and he didn't want Livy spending time with him. Obviously it wasn't Elijah's choice, but he wanted to protect his Livy. He had always thought that Lucien only wanted to take advantage of her.

"Livy…"

"I know," she sighed. "I know you don't like him, but he's my friend."

Elijah pressed his lips together; the last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad by belittling her. He didn't question her intelligence, of course not, but he knew how devious Lucien was. Livy was a very sweet and innocent girl; Elijah didn't think that she fully understood what men were like. Perhaps she didn't have romantic feelings toward Lucien, at least Elijah hoped so, but he could still hurt her. He didn't deserve her friendship. Livy limped over to the armchair and touched Elijah's cheek.

"Eli… You don't have to worry, everything is fine," she said gently.

He smiled and kissed her hand.

"Forgive me. I know I'm acting foolishly, but I only want to protect you."

"I know," she replied and sat on the armrest. "And I love you for it."

His body relaxed as she wrapped her arms around him. He really had been acting like a fool; there was absolutely no reason… A knock on the door cut off his thoughts.

"Yes?" Livy said and stood up.

The door opened and one of the maids came in with a huge bouquet.

"Good morning, Miss Livia, this was just brought to you."

Livy looked nothing but surprised.

"Oh. Thank you."

She stared at the flowers after the maid had left.

"They look nice," Elijah stated as calmly as he could.

"Yes…" she murmured, looking for a card. She found it and read it.

"Who are they from?" Elijah asked after he couldn't control himself any longer.

"From Lucien," she replied. "He wants to thank me for my help."

"Hmm, how nice."

Livy turned to look at him and smiled.

"If I recall, you said that you don't like Lucien because he has no manners. I think this was a polite gesture, wasn't it?"

"I suppose so," Elijah muttered reluctantly.

Livy let out a soft giggle and walked back to the armchair.

"Are you laughing at me?" Elijah asked, pretending to be insulted.

"Maybe a little," she giggled and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Eli."

He took her hand and touched her wrist with his thumb. She really knew how to make him melt completely.

"I love you too, Livy. My Livy."

She sat down again and leaned her head on his shoulder. Mozart was still on Elijah's lap; he finally opened his eyes and let out a lazy meow.

"Hi there," Livy said smiling and petted the cat. "Did you have fun with daddy?"

"I think he missed you," Elijah murmured.

"Did you miss mommy, sweetie?"

The cat meowed again and rubbed his head against Livy's hand.

Elijah wrapped his arm around her waist.

"So, how about we…" he started, but another knock interrupted him.

"Well, there seems to be a lot of traffic here this morning," Livy laughed and stood up. "Come in."

The same maid opened the door, she had another bouquet.

"Excuse me, miss, this was also brought to you."

Livy was speechless for a brief moment before she managed to thank the maid. Elijah placed Mozart on the floor and stood up. Livy was just reading the card.

"Livy?"

She cleared her throat and turned to look at Elijah.

"These…are also from Lucien. Apparently he is very grateful."

Elijah tensed as he noticed something very clearly. His Livy was lying to him.

"Apparently so," he muttered.

She smiled and placed the flowers on the table as carelessly as she could.

"So, what were you saying?" she asked. "I would certainly love a cup of tea, would you like to join me?"

"Sure."

He noticed that she had hid the card. He didn't like this at all. She had never lied to him or kept secrets from him. Who had sent her these flowers?


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning, some mature content. I changed the rating to be safe.**

* * *

 **Part 16**

 _France, 1002_

 _Livia was sitting in the garden, drawing the night sky. She knew that they couldn't stay here for much longer and a part of her felt sad because of it. She would miss Lucien, even though he had changed a lot after becoming like her family. None of them had known that their mother's spell could spread like that. Aurora was also like them now and Livia certainly wasn't happy about that. Of course she had felt sorry for Aurora who obviously wasn't well, but giving an unstable person this kind of abilities… how could that end well?_

 _Livia also felt bad for Tristan who clearly loved his sister very deeply. The truth was that Livia felt a little strange whenever Tristan was present. She became even clumsier and more nervous than usually. He was a very handsome man, but she wasn't a fool, she didn't think for a second that he would ever notice her. He was polite to her because he had to be, there was nothing more to it. She sighed and concentrated on her drawing. Then she suddenly heard someone approaching. She looked up and saw Tristan. There was something wrong with him; he stared at her very strangely._

 _"My lord," she said and stood up as quickly as she could. "Is everything…"_

 _He stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders before she managed to finish her sentence._

 _"Help me," he murmured._

 _Then she saw it. His fangs. Oh no…_

 _"It's alright," she said as calmingly as she could. "I will help you, my lord, everything will be alright."_

 _He stared at her for a moment, his lips curved into some kind of smile. Then he startled her by suddenly wrapping his arms tightly around her. He was probably upset; she tried her best to calm him down by rubbing his back._

 _"It's alright. I know you feel strange right now, but it will get better, I promise."_

 _He didn't say anything, she felt him touching her hair._

 _"It's alrigh…"_

 _She gasped in shock as he suddenly sank his fangs into her neck._

 _"S-stop…" she managed to breathe out, but he only tightened his grip. What was he doing? She picked up one primal thought from his mind. Power. He thought that her blood would make him stronger. The thought made her furious. How dared he? With a growl she attacked him and bit his neck as hard as she could. The next thing she realized was that they were wrestling on the ground, growling and biting each other like wild beasts._

 _Livia had always been a shy and quiet girl; she would have never thought that she could act like this. Right now her primal instincts had taken over. Yet she wasn't fighting for her survival. Neither was he. After a furious struggle, he managed to capture her under him. There was pure lust in his eyes as he looked down on her. He had her blood all over his face and his fangs were still out. Then he was kissing her._

 _The kiss was rough and dominant, but she found herself kissing him back. She had never kissed anyone before and she certainly wouldn't have thought that she would ever kiss him, but right now her mind wasn't in control. He wanted her and she wanted to know how it would feel like. Right now this felt perfectly natural, she allowed him to rip her clothes off. There was nothing gentle about his touch as his hands explored her body while his mouth still claimed hers. Her nails scratched his back; she was enjoying his touch on some part of her body._

 _"Mine," he groaned into her mouth as he pushed her legs open._

 _She had heard about this part, but she still winced as he suddenly thrust into her. It hurt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down. He let out a growl and pushed into her harder as she bit his neck. She wasn't feeling pain anymore; she was starting to enjoy what he was doing, even if he wasn't gentle. The speed of his thrusts was getting faster; she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. This wasn't too bad._

 _She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist in order to regain at least a little control. Pleasant waves washed over her, making her whole body shiver. After that her body relaxed, waiting for him to be finished. Finally he was, he closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest. She looked at him curiously, wondering what would happen next._

 _It took a moment before he slowly raised his head and looked at her. There was no lust in his eyes anymore; he looked nothing but shocked and repulsed. The look in his eyes was like a knife in her heart, his mouth floundered open and closed, but he couldn't get any words out. He got up as quickly as he could and zoomed away._

 _Livia's eyes were watering up; she had never felt so humiliated in her life. What had she been thinking? That he would actually want her? No, obviously he hadn't been himself. He would have never touched her if he would have been. She curled up into a fetal position and sobbed. She was so stupid. What man would ever want someone like her?_

* * *

Livia pressed her lips together and stared at the card.

 _My Dearest Livia_

 _Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to a theater tonight? They are playing A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of your favorites if I am not mistaken. I am looking forward to hear from you._

 _Faithfully yours_

 _Tristan_

Livia had no idea what to think. What on Earth was going on? Why did Tristan want to take her to the theater? If anything, he should want to get as far away from her as he could. She couldn't even imagine how he must have felt like for all these years, thinking that he had raped her. Maybe he wanted to talk about some things. She couldn't possibly deny that from him.

But she couldn't just go to the theater with him either. If Eli would find out… She really didn't want to upset him after everything that had happened with Hayley. Not to mention she hated lying to him. Maybe she wouldn't have to lie. She hesitated for a moment before picking up her phone.

"Hi, Lucien. I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."


	17. Chapter 17

**Part 17**

Lucien stood in the living room of the Mikaelson compound and smiled charmingly. Elijah and Kol were glaring at him and Nik was just pouring him a drink.

"So…" Lucien started. "It's great to see you all. It has been a while."

"Yes," Nik replied and handed him a glass.

"Thank you," Lucien said. "How are things…"

"What do you want with Livia?" Elijah cut in icily.

"Well, as I told her, I would like to take her to a theater."

"Why?"

"Because she's my friend. I thought that she might enjoy this play."

"And what are you hoping to get in return?" Kol asked.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. She has helped me many times and I only want to do something for her for a change."

"I see," Elijah stated and crossed his arms. "And there isn't another "favor" you are planning to ask from her?"

"No, there's not."

"You do know that she's a lady," Kol said.

"Yes, of cour…"

"And you know what that means." Kol paused and crossed his arms. "You will treat her thoughtfully and respectfully."

"Yes, of course I will."

Kol smiled and moved in front of Lucien.

"I am going to ask her later how this evening went. Your survival depends on her answer. Is that clear?"

"Very clear."

"Good."

Lucien was struggling to look serious; the whole situation was absurd to say the least. Poor Livia… Apparently her brothers thought that she was a small child or some kind of delicate doll. His guess was that she didn't go out very often, at least not with men.

"I would take this very seriously if I were you," Elijah stated coldly. "Livia deserves much better company than you, but since she wishes to spend time with you, I expect you to behave like a gentleman."

"Of course."

"And make no mistake, if a single hair falls off her head tonight, I will make you suffer. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Nik huffed. "Knock it off you two. I think Lucien gets your point."

"I most certainly do," Lucien said. He was glad that at least one of Livia's brothers was sane. Nik walked over to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"It's good to see you again, old friend," Nik said smiling.

"You too, Nik."

Nik was still smiling as he leaned closer.

"It would be a shame to kill you, so you be nice to my sister now, alright?"

"Yeah, I will."

Nik patted his shoulder and took a step back.

"Good."

Geez… Lucien had to admit that he was happy when Livia and her sister entered the room. Livia was wearing a light pink off-the-shoulder lace evening gown that suited her perfectly. Her long curls were down and she had long diamond earrings and a matching bracelet.

"Well…" Lucien said smiling. "You look stunning."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"That's okay; I had a nice chat with your brothers."

Livia sighed and looked at her brothers.

"I asked you to be nice, he is my friend."

"Oh, we were nice," Kol said smiling. "Weren't we, Lucien?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Livia sighed again and shook her head, but she didn't have time to say anything when Rebekah spoke.

"I assume you'll bring her home after the play?"

"Yes, of course."

"I can pick you up if you want," Elijah said, looking at Livia.

"Thank you, Eli, but I don't think that will be necessary." She paused and looked at Lucien. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, of course I'll give you a ride home. I'm a gentleman."

Fortunately he managed to say that with a straight face.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he added and picked up the bouquet he had placed on the table earlier. "These are for you."

"Thank you, they are lovely."

Lucien was aware that Livia's siblings were observing his every move, so he kept his distance and was careful with his words. Perhaps the whole thing seemed ridiculous to him, but they most certainly weren't kidding.

"So, shall we go then?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"Do you have your phone with you?" Elijah asked tensely.

Livia smiled and limped over to him.

"Yes, Eli. I'll be back after couple of hours." She paused and kissed his cheek. "Alright?"

"Hmm," he muttered. "Call me immediately if…"

"I will."

She smiled at her other siblings as well.

"Remember what we talked about," Rebekah said.

"I will."

"Have a nice evening, Liv," Kol stated and touched her shoulder.

"Thank you. Bye, Nik, kiss Hope goodnight for me."

"Sure. Enjoy the play."

"I'm sure I will."

Lucien cleared his throat when they were finally in his car.

"Well… That was…interesting."

"I'm so sorry," Livia sighed. "I didn't mean…"

"Hey, it's alright," Lucien cut it. "It has been a while since I've received so many threats in one day."

Livia burst into laughter.

"I really am sorry. Thank you so much for doing this."

"No problem."

Lucien was quiet for a moment before continuing.

"May I ask who you're going to meet in the theater?"

"Tristan," Livia replied after a brief hesitation.

Lucien's eyebrows furrowed.

"What? Why?"

"There are some things we need to talk about."

"Ah. I can certainly understand why you didn't want your family to know."

"I don't enjoy lying to them, but this is something…private."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, darling, I think you're entitled to your privacy."

"Thank you," Livia said smiling. "You're a good friend, Lucien."

He smirked.

"Well, I try."

The truth was that he didn't really have many friends; he had never felt that he needed any. She was the only female friend he has ever had and right now he was concerned about her. Why did she want to meet Tristan?

"Oh, and no need to worry when we get to the theater, you can go in first and I'll follow you later," she said.

He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

She smiled.

"I'm grateful for your help, but I'm not asking you to make a public appearance with me."

"Why wouldn't I want to do that?"

"I think we both know why and it's alright, I completely understand. I have got used to people staring at me and I really don't want you to experience that…"

"Hey," he cut in. "You're a beautiful woman, darling. I mean it. Of course we'll go in together."

"But…"

"Unless of course you're embarrassed by me."

She rolled her eyes.

"Very funny."

"So was your suggestion," he replied. "You know I couldn't care less about what some pathetic humans think and if any of them looks at you the way that displeases you, I'll rip their eyes out."

Livia smiled.

"Well that's sweet…kind of."

Lucien grinned and winked at her.

"What can I say, I'm a sweet guy."

"Sure you are."


	18. Chapter 18

**Part 18**

Livia couldn't deny that she was a little nervous as she entered the theater arm in arm with Lucien. He looked more than handsome in his dark suit and she had no doubt that everyone here were wondering why was he here with her. They probably suspected that she was related to him, he was such a good person that he had taken pity on her, she was paying for his company or something like that.

It was the same thing when she went somewhere with Eli. As soon as people discovered that she was his sister, there was a certain understanding on their face. Of course, why else would a man like him be with someone like her. He was such a good brother for taking his ugly sister out. Not that she cared what anyone thought of her, but she really didn't enjoy people staring at her. In fact, this was the first public event she had participated since… She couldn't even remember. She really was nervous, as much as she wanted to deny it. She didn't even notice that she was squishing Lucien's arm harder than was necessary.

"Is everything alright, darling?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "It has been a while since I… You know, went anywhere."

"Ah. Well, no need to be nervous, you look beautiful."

She smiled at him; he was very kind for saying that. The lobby was already full of people; they were chatting and having drinks. Some people had already noticed Livia and Lucien.

"Look at that," some blonde woman whispered to her friend. "Beauty and the beast."

Her friend giggled.

"Do you think that he's a gigolo? I would pay a lot for his services."

"No, that's Lucien Castle," a third woman said. "He's a businessman, Harry mentioned him once."

"Really?" the blonde woman said. "He has money?"

"Yes, a lot of it."

"That must be his cousin or something like that then," the second woman huffed. "Do you know who she is?"

"No," both of her friends replied. "But right now I would say she must be the most grateful woman in the world," the blonde added. "I could really have a taste of that gorgeous…"

"Darling," Lucien said smiling and kissed Livia's hand.

She turned gladly to look at him; she wasn't in the mood for listening to those women. He leaned towards her, so close that his lips almost touched her ear.

"May I kiss you?" he whispered.

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"I would very much like to shut those three "real housewives of silicon valley" up. Or then I can just kill them, however you want."

"That's kind of you, but you really don't have to…" she started, but she didn't have time to finish her sentence when his lips were touching hers. The kiss was passionate, but he wasn't using his tongue. She was too stunned to react; she stared at him when he pulled away.

"Oh…my…god," one of the women muttered. "Did you just see that?"

Apparently many people had seen that, Livia could practically feel their eyes on her.

"Lucien…" she muttered tensely.

"Excuse me," an ice-cold voice cut in. Tristan. Lucien smiled and wrapped his arm around Livia's waist before turning to look at him.

"Tristan! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Livia," Tristan said, ignoring Lucien. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she managed to reply. She was aware that many people were still staring at her. "I… thank you for inviting me here."

"Thank you for coming," he replied. "Can I have a word with you? In private."

"Woah, woah, Lucien said as Tristan reached for Livia's hand. "She didn't say yes."

"You have no right to touch her," Tristan replied icily. "She's a lady. Out of your league."

Lucien let out a mocking laughter.

"Well, I could say the same to you. She deserves much better company than you."

Tristan smiled, but it certainly wasn't a warm or friendly smile.

"You mean your company?"

"Yes," Lucien replied. "Unlike you, I actually know the meaning of fun."

Tristan and Lucien took a threatening step towards each other, but Livia moved quickly between them.

"Alright, enough," she said as calmly as she could. They most certainly had the undivided attention of everyone in the lobby. "I think we should continue this…conversation outside."

"Of course," Tristan said quickly and offered her his arm. "I apologize."

"Me too," Lucien said, also offering her his arm.

Livia's first thought was to march out by herself, but then she noticed how disbelievingly "the real housewives of silicon valley" were staring at her. Yes, she was over a thousand years old and normally she didn't care what people thought of her, but right now she felt the need to do something childish. She smiled sweetly and wrapped her right arm around Lucien's and left around Tristan's. They both seemed surprised.

"Shall we go then?"

Lucien got over his surprise first; he gave her a charming smile.

"Of course, darling."

"I'm sorry," she said as soon as they were outside. She was embarrassed now by her childish behavior.

"Why?" Lucien asked. "That was a lot of fun."

Livia looked at Tristan.

"I apologize for ruining your evening…"

"You didn't ruin it," he cut in. "I didn't come here for the play. I came here to see you."

She nodded.

"Yes, I understand and of course we can talk if you like." She paused and looked at Lucien. "I'm…"

"Darling," he huffed. "I hope you're not planning to say that you're sorry. I still think that you deserve much better company than Tristan, but if you want to have a chat with him…"

She nodded.

"There are some things we need to talk about." She paused and kissed Lucien's cheek. "Thank you for your help."

"Well, I still need to take you home if I want to stay alive," he replied.

She smiled and touched his shoulder.

"Shall we meet after the play ends?"

"Yes, sure. Call me where to pick you up."

"I will. Thank you, Lucien."

She bit her bottom lip before looking at Tristan. Judging by his expression, he had a lot to say.


	19. Chapter 19

**Warning, some mature content**

* * *

 **Part 19**

"Please," Tristan said as he opened the door to his limousine.

"Thank you," Livia replied.

He bit his bottom lip as he got in after her and closed the door behind them. Finally they were alone.

"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked after she had settled on the seat opposite him.

"No, thank you."

He hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. As unbelievable as it was, he was actually nervous. This was the woman he had wanted for so long and now he finally had a chance to make her his.

"I apologize for my behavior," he said.

"That's alright," she replied.

"He had no right to touch you," he added, he couldn't stop himself.

Livia smiled.

"Lucien is a good friend; he was just trying to spare my feelings."

Tristan's eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"There are always people who feel the need to comment my appearance," she replied calmly. "It doesn't matter…"

"It does," Tristan cut it. "You are a beautiful woman, Miss Livia, no one has the right to disrespect you."

"Thank you for saying that, but I have got used to it. I don't care what people think of me."

Tristan looked at her calm face and felt anger. She certainly didn't deserve any kind of mockery and he felt the need to kill everyone who had ever said bad things to her.

"Livia," he murmured and moved beside her. "You are beautiful."

She looked confused as he touched her soft curls. Her scent was absolutely intoxicating.

"Mr. de Martel…"

"Tristan. Please, call me Tristan."

She blinked nervously as he leaned towards her.

"I… I have wanted you for over a thousand years," he murmured. "You have no idea how much…"

"Tristan," she said softly and took his hand. "Look at me. You don't really want me. The blood sharing and… the intimate encounter created a link between us, you know that…"

"No," he cut in tensely. "It did create the link, but… I want you. I have dreamt about you ever since that night. It felt horrible and wrong before when I thought that… I had forced myself on you. But now… Will you give me a chance to earn your affection?"

Livia stared at him, she looked completely stunned.

"Tristan… You… You don't mean that…"

"I do," he cut in and took her hands between his. "I love you, Livia Mikaelson. Will you give me a chance?"

Her mouth floundered open and closed, she looked nothing but utterly confused.

"Don't… Don't toy with me," she finally managed to say. "That's cruel. I don't think that I have deserved…"

She couldn't finish her sentence as he drew her into his embrace and took her mouth with his own. He had never acted like this, but all he wanted now was to make her see how much he wanted her. He certainly wasn't toying with her, it was sad that she thought that. She didn't think that he could really want her.

She flattened her hands on his chest and let out a gasp of surprise. Her body was shaking, but she made no attempt to push him away. Opening his mouth, he touched her lips gently with his tongue. She tasted sweet, he kissed her deeper than he had ever kissed anyone before. His hands massaged her hips as he focused on her lips; they were so soft and delicious against his own.

Finally he felt her stiff body relaxing and her mouth responding to his teasing and provocation. Timidly she reached out and touched his tongue with hers. He let out a groan and pulled her even closer. She pushed herself against him and shivered as his hands caressed her thighs. The silk of her underwear pressed against the rough fabric and zipper of his pants. He was turned on; there was no way of hiding that. He gasped when she suddenly pushed her hips into his.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean…"

"Please don't apologize," he panted and continued kissing her. He never wanted to stop. This was what he had wanted for so long. He slipped a hand under her dress and stroked her pelvis bones. She shivered again; it seemed that she was very sensitive. He wanted to make her feel good, give her pleasure. Gently he slid his hand between her legs, making her to let out a gasp. She didn't tell him to stop, so he teased her nub with his thumb by making slow circles over her underwear.

"Tri-Tristan," she panted.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Her whole body was shaking as she shook her head. That was all what he needed to know. He continued touching her and slowly increased the pressure of his touch. She was shaking even more violently and cried out as she came. She really was sensitive. Gently he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, giving her time to recover.

"I…I'm sorry," she murmured.

He pulled away and looked at her.

"What? Why?"

She wasn't looking at him; it seemed that she was embarrassed.

"I shouldn't have… I… I…"

"Hey, it's alright," he said calmingly. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Good."

They were both quiet for a moment before she spoke.

"I… I'm not really sure what happened, but I've never… I mean…"

"I understand," he assured. "And I'm truly sorry if I went too far."

She blinked her eyes nervously before looking at him.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

He smiled and touched her cheek.

"I told you, I have wanted you ever since that night. I want you to be mine."

She blinked again, looking very confused.

"I need to think about this," she muttered.

"Yes, of course."

"I should go…"

"No wait, please. May I offer you a ride home?"

She stopped and looked at him.

"Thank you, but that wouldn't be a good idea. My family… They can be a bit protective."

Tristan bit his bottom lip, he had almost forgotten Elijah.

"I understand."

She gave him a cautious smile.

"I… I'll call you."

"Please do."

He opened the door and helped her out.

"Good night, Livia," he said and kissed her cheek. From the corner of his eye he saw Lucien standing across the street with his arms crossed.

"Good night," Livia replied and headed towards Lucien. Tristan gave him a cold glare. If Lucien knew what was good for him, he would keep his hands off Livia.


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

Livia had never been more confused in her life. What had just happened? Had she actually…. She didn't even know what word would describe it. The way she had acted… She couldn't understand it. Why hadn't she stopped Tristan? Was she really that pathetic? Yes, she was. For so long she had suppressed the part of her that craved to be touched. She had never wanted to put herself in so vulnerable position again.

There had been men who had approached her, but she had known that none of them had really wanted her. They had been willing to do whatever they had to do in order to advance their own position. Including courting someone like her. She had no doubt that they would have been nothing but kind and polite if she would have allowed them in her bed, but deep down they would have been nothing but disgusted.

She would have been nothing more than an unpleasant task for them. As much as she had wanted to be touched, she would have never been desperate enough to be with a man like that. What about Tristan then? He had kept saying that he wanted her, but could that really be true? What if it was? She had no idea what to do.

"Livia?" Lucien's voice said after a long silence.

For a moment Livia had forgotten his presence, she gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"No need to apologize, I would just want to know are you alright?"

"Me? Yes… Yes, everything is fine."

Obviously he didn't believe her, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Livia… If Tristan did something to you…"

"He didn't," she cut in quickly. "We… talked."

She couldn't look at Lucien, she was afraid that he could somehow see what had happened. The thought would have made her blush, if that would have been physically possible. Did she look somehow different? Could everyone see that? Suddenly she realized something. Eli. She froze and swallowed.

"Livia? I can see that something is wrong," Lucien stated tensely. "What did Tristan do?"

"Nothing, I swear. Please… Please don't tell anyone that I met him."

Lucien didn't say anything. Finally Livia forced herself to look at him.

"I'm really sorry for putting you in this kind of position, I shouldn't have…"

"This isn't about me," he cut in firmly and sighed. "Look, Livia, you know I'm not the kind of person who usually cares about anyone, but the thing is that I happen to like you. I don't know what's going on between you and Tristan, but I can see that something is wrong. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, that's fine, but don't expect me to just look away and forget the whole thing."

Livia stared at him, unable to reply. She could see that he was certainly out of his comfort zone. He was worried about her. She couldn't help but smile.

"Lucien… First of all, I like you too. And second of all…" She paused and reached for his hand. Both of his hands were resting on the steering wheel, she touched the right one. "Thank you."

"For what?" he murmured.

"For being my friend."

He cleared his throat before smirking.

"Well, I'm afraid I have a purely selfish reason to worry about your wellbeing, darling. Your family would kill me if anything would happen to you."

She smiled.

"Sure, you keep saying yourself that. Softie."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

He frowned.

"I demand you take that back."

"And what if I won't?"

He smirked.

"Do you really want to push your luck, darling?"

She crossed her arms and looked at him challengingly. He stopped the car on the side of the street and turned to look at her.

"Last chance, take that back."

She smiled and shook her head.

"I don't think so, softie."

His eyes narrowed before he moved closer to her.

"Take that back."

"No."

He grinned and pushed her seat back, pressing his palms flat on either side of her head.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked.

"Yes."

She laughed and was just about to reply when he suddenly leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment she was too stunned to react, then she thought that this was some kind of joke. What else could this be? He didn't lay a finger on her, she could have easily broken away from his lips, but he had managed to take her completely by surprise. As he covered her mouth with his, he pressed the tip of his tongue against the seam of her lips. Her mind was still refusing to work properly; she made no attempt to stop him before he pulled away and looked at her. There was a strange look in his dark eyes.

"Forgive me," he murmured and returned to his own seat.

She needed a moment before she was able to speak.

"Lucien…"

"I can smell it," he murmured tensely. "And if I can, then so can your family."

Livia stared at him.

"What… What are you talking about?"

He cleared his throat and cocked his head towards her waist. She still couldn't understand.

"I can smell certain… body fluids," he clarified.

Her eyes widened before she quickly turned her head away, wanting to hide.

"Oh lord…" she mumbled. She was more than embarrassed

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Why… Why did you kiss me?" she asked after she was able to speak again.

"I'm not sure," he murmured. "It felt like a good idea, since your brothers will blame me for this anyway…"

"Blame you for what…" she started before she understood. "Oh…"

They were both quiet for a moment, she needed to think.

"Alright… No one is going to blame anyone for anything," she finally said. "I need a place where I can take a quick shower and if you can be so kind and find me a new pair of panties?"

Lucien turned to look at her.

"You want me to go and buy you panties?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm sure you don't want to see me again after tonight and I completely understand…"

"Why wouldn't I want to see you again?" he cut in.

"Why would you?" she huffed. "I doubt that this has been a fun evening for you."

"Well…" he hummed smirking. "I do enjoy lingerie shopping. I think pink especially is my color."

She broke into a snigger, she couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry about the kiss," he added.

"That's alright. This has been a strange evening."

"Yes… Shall we take a room then? There's a decent looking hotel across the street."

She nodded.

"Any place is fine. Thank you, Lucien."

The evening had really been strange, but it certainly wasn't over yet. She still had to face her family.


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 21**

Lucien waited patiently and listened to the sound of running water. Livia had been in the bathroom for a while now; apparently she wanted to make sure that she was clean before returning home. The thought made Lucien to press his lips together. What was going on between her and Tristan? She was one of the smartest women Lucien had met; he couldn't understand why she would ever let someone like Tristan to touch her.

She most certainly deserved much better. However, unlike her brothers, Lucien was aware that she wasn't a child; she had every right to make her own decisions. Patronizing her would be nothing but useless, not to mention disrespectful. Yet Lucien hated the idea of Tristan touching her. She deserved better. She deserved…

"Um, Lucien?" Livia's voice suddenly said. He had been too distracted to notice her opening the bathroom door. "Could I ask you a small favor?"

"Yes, of course," he replied and stood up. "What is it?"

She looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Could you help me with my zipper? This dress isn't something I would normally wear, but Rebekah thought… Anyhow, I can't close the zipper myself."

Lucien smiled.

"I would be happy to help, darling, there's no need to be embarrassed."

"Easy for you to say," she murmured. "I have embarrassed myself more than enough for one day and now I can't even get dressed by myself."

"Well," he hummed as he walked over to her. "I'm certainly not complaining."

"Funny," she huffed and turned around.

He could see her bare back, it looked soft and smooth.

"You have no reason to be embarrassed," he murmured as his hand was reaching for the zipper.

"I appreciate you saying that, but…"

"It's stuck," he cut in.

"What?"

"The zipper, it's stuck."

"Oh no… Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm afraid not."

"Alright… Could you try again? Pull harder."

"Sure," Lucien replied.

He tried and tried, but the zipper remained stuck. This was just great.

"It's not moving."

"Damn it…"

"Hold on, I'll try again…"

He used some more strength and felt that it was working. Or not.

"I think I almost got it…" he started.

"No wait, I think we should…" she cut in and was just about to turn around.

In that moment he pulled the zipper harder. Way too hard. The next thing he realized was that she was standing in front of him wearing only her panties. What was left of her dress was lying on the floor. It took a brief moment before she gasped and covered her breasts with her arms.

"I'm so sorry…" he started and quickly removed his jacket. "Here…"

"Thank you," she murmured as he wrapped the jacket around her. He noticed that the corners of her mouth were twitching and he thought that she was about to burst into tears.

"Livia, I'm sorry…"

He was stunned when she suddenly burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "This is just… You know?"

He smiled.

"Yes, I think I know what you mean."

He had never heard her laughing so hard and he couldn't help but to laugh too.

"Alright," she said after she finally managed to stop laughing. "I need to ask you one more favor."

* * *

Elijah looked at his watch impatiently. The play had ended 45 minutes ago, Livia should be home already. He should have gone with her. If anything had happened…

"Don't worry, brother," Kol said. "Lucien is many things, but he isn't suicidal."

"Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean he's very smart either," Elijah murmured. "You know how kind Livy is, men like Lucien have always tried to take advantage of her kindness."

Just the thought infuriated Elijah. His Livy deserved much better company than Lucien.

"Has Liv ever dated anyone?" Kol asked.

Elijah looked at him and frowned.

"What?"

"I'm just curious."

"No, she hasn't," Elijah replied coolly. Fortunately.

"Hmm. Has there been suitors? I mean apart from Nik's pathetic lackeys."

"No. And I haven't met any man who would be good enough for her."

"Well… Our little sister is a very special girl. It's good that she has always had you looking after her."

"She has looked after me just as much as I have looked after her," Elijah replied. "I have always admired her intelligence, but I'm afraid there are things she doesn't really understand. She doesn't know what men can be like. Especially men like Lucien."

Kol nodded.

"I think you're right about that. Liv is a sweet girl. An innocent girl. I think she needs us to watch her back."

Elijah certainly agreed.

"Well, Hope is finally asleep," Klaus stated as he entered the living room.

"That's good," Elijah murmured and looked at his watch again.

"Haven't Livia returned yet?" Klaus asked.

"No. I should call her."

"No need," Rebekah said while marching in. "I just talked to her, she's almost here."

"Was she alright?" Elijah asked tensely.

"Yeah, she was fine."

Elijah walked over to the window and crossed his arms. It didn't take long when Livia walked across the courtyard. There was no sign of Lucien, but she was wearing his jacket. No one said a word; they all heard her entering the compound.

"Livy?" Elijah called. "Could you come here, please?"

It took a moment before she appeared at the doorway.

"Oh, hi," she said smiling. "You're all here."

"How was your evening, Liv?" Kol asked.

"It was nice," she replied.

"Hmm. And Lucien acted like a gentleman?"

"Yes, he did. Everything went well."

She was still smiling, but Elijah saw something very clearly. She was nervous. His eyes narrowed.

"So," she continued after a moment of silence. "I think I'll go and get changed now. Good night."

Elijah didn't say anything; he was too upset to speak. His Livy was hiding something from him. Again. This time he was going to find out exactly what that something was.


	22. Chapter 22

**Part 22**

Livia stared at her reflection in the mirror, wondering what on Earth had happened tonight. Two men had kissed her, one had seen her half naked and the other one had given her an… She bit her bottom lip and huffed, she was pathetic. It was called an orgasm. Of course she knew that, why was it so difficult for her to even think about it? She wasn't some blushing maiden, she knew…things. Things? Oh lord, she really was pathetic. A pathetic bookworm who knew how everything worked in theory, but who had very little practical experience.

She had read countless of books during her long life, including books about sex, but the sad truth was that she actually knew very little about romantic relationships. No, correction, she didn't really know _anything_ about romantic relationships. There had been nothing romantic about what had happened between her and Tristan all those years ago. It had been a quickie on the ground, nothing more.

There had been no caressing or handholding. It had been nothing but animalistic sex. Not that she was complaining, she had agreed to it. She has had a crush on him, but she had never thought that he could be interested in her. She hadn't thought that anyone could ever be interested in her. Of course she had heard other girls whispering about what happened between a woman and a man, but she hadn't thought that she would ever experience it, especially with a man like Tristan.

She bit her bottom lip harder as she remembered how his touch had felt tonight. Sure she touched herself sometimes, but she had never before experienced anything like that. If she wasn't completely mistaken, that had been her first real orgasm. The thought was very strange; she was over a thousand years old. Now the question was what should she do? What did she want to do? She was very confused. She sighed and washed her face before walking out of the bathroom. The long cotton nightgown she was wearing felt good right now, she didn't want to wear anything revealing.

"Livy."

She couldn't help but startle when she suddenly heard Elijah's voice, she had been too distracted to notice him sitting on the armchair. He had Mozart on his lap, the cat was purring happily as Eli petted him.

"Hi," Livia replied smiling. "Is something wrong?"

She noticed that he tensed a bit.

"No. Why did you think that?"

"No, no, I just thought… I'm sorry; I wasn't expecting you, that's all."

He looked at her for a moment before replying.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, of course not. You know I always enjoy your company."

He didn't say anything; his gaze had become a little more piercing. That made her nervous; did he know that she had met Tristan?

"So, would you like to watch a movie?" she asked, sounding unnaturally perky.

"Sure," he replied. "Sounds good."

"Alright, do you have some specific movie in mind?"

He stood up and placed Mozart on the armchair.

"No, what ever you want to watch is fine."

"Alright…"

She was still nervous as she chose the first movie that seemed even slightly interesting. From the corner of her eye she noticed Eli taking his jacket and shoes off before lying down on the bed. She smiled at him as she lied down beside him, just like she always did. And he wrapped his arm around her, as he always did. He twirled her hair around his finger as they silently watched the movie.

There was nothing unusual about this, she had always felt safe and comfortable being close to him. Yet something had changed. His arm felt almost possessive around her. She had always been "his Livy". He has never really had to share her with anyone. It wasn't difficult to tell that he wouldn't accept Tristan. Or anyone else for that matter. She winced as her back suddenly started to cramp. That happened quite often; it was another perk of having uneven legs.

"What's wrong?" Eli asked immediately.

"A cramp."

"Oh."

Gently he rolled her on her stomach and started to massage her back, just like he had done ever since she had been a child. Why did it felt different now? He knew exactly how to make the pain stop, he had done this countless of times. Yet there was something different about this. The way he pressed her against the mattress… It was almost like he would have tried to…trap her. Dominate her. That was nothing but ridiculous, how could she even think something like that? She was ashamed by such thoughts. What was wrong with her?

* * *

2 days later

"How did Holly's play go?" Livia asked.

She was lying on her stomach on the massage table; her physiotherapist Suzanne was massaging her neck. Livia liked Suzanne very much; she was a sweet woman and an excellent physiotherapist. She had treated Livia for the last 6 months, ever since Livia had arrived to New Orleans.

"Great!" Suzanne replied cheerfully. "I'm telling you, that girl is a star!"

Livia smiled; there was always the same excitement and pride in Suzanne's voice when she talked about her daughter Holly. Clearly she was a very loving and devoted mother.

"I can believe that, she sounds like a very talented girl."

"Oh, she is, there was this one time when she was just 4…"

Livia listened politely and enjoyed feeling her muscles relaxing. Suzanne's work room was very nice, there were few paintings of sceneries on the walls, a bonsai tree, aromatherapy candles and classical music. Livia's eyes were closed and she felt completely relaxed when there was suddenly a knock on the door.

"Oh, excuse me," Suzanne said.

"Yes, of course."

Livia sighed after Suzanne left the room. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed a moment by herself. Her siblings, especially Eli, hadn't let her out of their sight during the last two days. None of them had said it out loud, but obviously she had noticed their sudden urge to "spend time" with her. She hadn't really had a chance to think about what she was going to do with…

"Livia."

She startled and opened her eyes.

"Tristan…"


	23. Chapter 23

**Part 23**

Tristan couldn't get his eyes off Livia. She was lying naked on the massage table, there was only a towel covering her lower body. Her eyes were closed, she looked very peaceful. He knew that he should have said something; let her know that he was here. This was wrong; he shouldn't be looking at her. Yet he was. She was beautiful. Her eyes… They had haunted him for the last thousand years. He stared at her face, admiring every little detail. She was perfect. Unique. Like some kind of a nymph. He needed to say something.

"Livia."

Her eyes flew open immediately; she blinked couple of times before her eyes met his.

"Tristan…" she murmured.

"Forgive me for coming here like this," he said quickly. "I…I wanted to talk and… You haven't called."

She blinked rapidly few times, she seemed uncomfortable.

"Could you hand me some clothes, please?"

It took a brief moment before he understood what she was saying; he had forgotten that she was naked.

"Yes, yes, of course, forgive me."

Quickly he removed his jacket and handed it to her before turning around.

"You didn't hurt Suzanne, did you?" she stated, sounding more confident now.

"Who?"

"My physiotherapist."

"Oh. No, I didn't hurt her, I only compelled her to go and take a break."

"Good. You can turn around now."

He did and saw her sitting on the edge of the massage table. She was wearing his jacket and the towel that was wrapped around her waist.

"Again I apologize for coming here," he said. "I would have chosen some other place, but you haven't really been alone lately."

"No, I haven't," she muttered.

They were both quiet for a moment before he continued.

"You look beautiful."

"I doubt that…"

"Don't. You are beautiful, Livia. And… I have missed you."

Slowly she looked up; there was insecurity in her eyes.

"I won't bother you for long," he said smiling. "I only wanted to ask have you made any decision yet."

"Not really," she sighed. "The situation is quite complicated, you know because of Eli and the rest of my family and…"

"Alright, how about you forget them for a moment." He paused and took a step towards the massage table. "Do _you_ want to give me a chance?"

She was quiet for a long while before replying.

"There's something you should know," she finally muttered. "I… I have never…"

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't, she pressed her lips together.

"Yes?"

"Alright," she sighed. "The thing is that I have never…dated anyone."

He couldn't deny that he was surprised.

"Not ever?"

She shook her head.

"No. Go ahead and laugh if you want…"

"Why would I laugh?"

She shrugged.

"Because I'm pathetic."

"No, you're not," he replied firmly.

"Yes, I am and I think you should reconsider this. I want to be honest with you and the truth is that I don't know how to… This is all very foreign to me. I don't expect you to…"

"Livia," he cut in quietly and stepped in front of her. "Are you saying that you haven't… been with anyone after that night?"

Her body was tense and she kept her eyes on the floor.

"This is a very private matter to me," she muttered, sounding very uncomfortable. "I would appreciate if you wouldn't..."

"Of course not," he replied immediately. "What you tell me will stay between you and me, I give you my word."

"Thank you."

"Is that what you meant?" he asked after a moment of silence. Could that really be possible?

"Yes," she replied quietly. "As I said, I want to be honest with you from the beginning so you won't waste any more of your time…"

"What?"

She crossed her arms and looked at him. She looked dignified now.

"I'm neither stupid nor naïve. I think we both know I don't have much to offer you. Why would you possibly want to be with me?"

He stared at her for a moment before he was able to reply.

"I can't believe you have to ask that. You are an incredible woman, Livia, surely you know that?"

She didn't say anything, she looked somewhat nervous. He took her hands between his and leaned towards her.

"Please look at me," he asked.

She did after a brief moment of hesitation.

"I love you and I want you. Every part of you. Will you give me a chance?"

"I…" She paused and took a deep breath. "I don't want to jeopardize your safety. You know that my brother…"

"Don't worry about him; we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now I only want to hear what you want. Do you think that you could give me a chance?"

"Yes."

They both looked at each other for a while before he touched her cheek and kissed her. After so many years, he could finally taste her again. She was kissing him back; her lips were hungrily sucking and nipping his. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, wanting to keep her right there. The moment was perfect, but it ended too quickly.

"We don't have much time," she murmured between the kisses. "Eli will come and pick me up; he wanted to take me to lunch."

Of course he did. The last thing Tristan wanted to think about right now was Elijah, but unfortunately he didn't have much choice. He was aware that Elijah had no intention to share Livia. Well, he would have to because Tristan wasn't going to give her up either.

"Alright, I understand. Can we meet tonight?"

She looked thoughtful.

"Yes, I think I can sneak out."

Tristan couldn't help but smile.

"Sneak out?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "This is a new situation; I'm not really sure how to handle everything. I don't want to hurt Eli's feelings."

"No, of course not. We can talk about all the details tonight, I'm sure we can work everything out."


	24. Chapter 24

**Part 24**

Aurora de Martel was shocked. She couldn't believe what she had just heard with her own ears.

 _"You are an incredible woman, Livia… I love you and I want you… Will you give me a chance?"_

Her brother wanted Livia Mikaelson… No, that couldn't be possible. Why would Tristan want someone like her, he deserved so much better. He could easily have any woman he wanted. Why would any man want Livia Mikaelson? Aurora was more than glad that Darius, a member of the Strix and a former lover of hers had informed her what was going on. Tristan didn't know that she was in New Orleans and she was planning to keep things like that.

Obviously her brother needed her help, he wasn't thinking clearly. At first Aurora had been sure that Tristan was using Livia for something, but that didn't seem to be the case. He actually wanted her. No, that couldn't be possible. He wasn't thinking clearly, that must be the problem. According to Darius, he had acted strangely ever since arriving to New Orleans. Aurora needed to save him before things would get worse.

She knew better than well how obsessed Elijah Mikaelson was with his gargoyle of a sister. Aurora had seen that when she had still been a human. She had thought at first that they were a husband and a wife instead of siblings. There was no chance Aurora was going to let her brother get hurt because of Livia Mikaelson. She needed some help and she knew exactly who would help her.

Lucien, her faithful suitor. The thought made her smile. She had always used her looks to get what she wanted from men and she wasn't ashamed of it. Why should she be, she was a survivor. Tristan and Klaus were the only men she had ever genuinely loved, but nowadays she hated Klaus, almost as much as she hated Elijah.

She had thought that Klaus was the love of her life and looked for him after the compulsion had ended. Finally she had found him and he had turned her down. No one had ever turned her down. And now he had a child and he was in love with some human bitch. Aurora really wanted to kill the blonde tramp, but first things first. First she needed to save her brother from the gargoyle.

Fortunately she had found out that Lucien was in town, apparently he had met Livia. They were somewhat friends, but Aurora was sure that Lucien was only using Livia. As far as she knew, he didn't have friends, he only cared about himself. And Aurora, of course. She placed a sweet smile on her face before knocking the door to his hotel suite. It had been a while since she had met Lucien. He was clearly surprised when he opened the door.

"Aurora."

"Hello, Lucien," she said sweetly. "I'm sorry for coming here like this; I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"No, you're not," he replied.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

He stepped aside and let her in.

"Lovely place," she said while looking around.

"Yes. What brings you here?"

She turned to look at him.

"I heard that you're in town and I wanted to see you. It has been too long."

"Oh. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yes please," she replied smiling.

He poured them both drinks, they sat down and talked. Obviously she couldn't just as him a favor right away. After she thought that she had waited long enough, she suddenly burst into tears. Clearly that startled Lucien, just like she had hoped.

"Aurora? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry."

"Hey, talk to me."

She was quiet for a moment before replying.

"It's Tristan."

"What about him?"

"I… I'm so worried about him."

"Why?"

Aurora looked at him with teary eyes. No man could resist that look, she knew that.

"Can I trust you?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, of course you can."

She let few more tears roll down her cheeks before continuing.

"Tristan thinks that he's in love with Livia Mikaelson."

Lucien's face was suddenly completely blank. Aurora had expected him to laugh or something like that, but he didn't.

"In love with her?" he repeated.

"Yes, I heard him saying that to her. Obviously something is wrong with him and I'm afraid what will happen when Elijah finds out."

"When did you hear him saying that?"

"Just a moment ago, I followed him. He went to see her when she had a massage or something."

Lucien didn't say anything; Aurora had to admit that she was a little surprised by his reaction.

"I don't know what to do," Aurora sighed. "How can I help him?"

"He needs to stay away from her," Lucien murmured.

"Yes, exactly," Aurora replied eagerly. "I just thought… No, I couldn't ask that."

"What?"

Aurora bit her bottom lip.

"I heard them talking and she said that she has never dated anyone. I would imagine that she's quite…you know, desperate. If someone else would flirt with her, maybe even offer her a little affection…"

"What?" Lucien snapped. "You can't be serious."

"Yes, I know it's going to be difficult to find a handsome man who can act that well, but I'm sure I can find someone."

"No," Lucien replied firmly. "I'll do it."

Aurora smiled warmly.

"You're very sweet, but I couldn't possibly ask you to…"

"I'll do it," he repeated.

That had been even easier than she had thought.

"Thank you, Lucien. I won't forget this."

She paused and stood up, shaking her hips seductively while walking over to him.

"I don't think you'll have any problem seducing her. The poor girl could really use a mercy fuck." She paused again and leaned towards Lucien, touching his ear with her lips. "You know you're my hero. I'm sure I can find some way to show you how grateful I am…"

"Perhaps some other time," Lucien cut in. "Right now I would like to know everything you heard."


	25. Chapter 25

**Part 25**

Livia was very nervous as she entered Tristan's hotel suite. She wasn't sure what scared her more, to be here alone with him or if Eli would find out. There was no doubt that he would try to hurt Tristan, he had been more than overprotective lately. A part of her wanted to tell him that she wasn't a child, she could take care of herself, but she hadn't been able to do that. She wasn't completely sure why.

He had always been there for her, looked after her and loved her. He had never had to share her and she knew that he wouldn't agree to do that. There was nothing she could say that would change his mind. She really didn't know how to handle this, but she also didn't want to go back home right now. She wanted to experience what she had missed for so long.

Was that really so wrong? Was someone like her not supposed to have these kinds of feelings? Should she be ashamed of herself for wanting to be touched? Maybe. Maybe this was wrong and she was a tramp, but she really didn't care. She knew what would happen here tonight and she wanted it. She wanted to be a real woman and be touched by a man who wasn't repulsed by her. She didn't know what would happen after tonight, maybe Tristan only wanted sex, but she didn't really care. This was something what she wanted and needed. Just one night when she could pretend that she was a normal woman.

"You look beautiful," Tristan said smiling.

"Thank you," Livia replied as calmly as she could. She had tried her best to tame her curls, put on a little makeup and her favorite perfume. She had spent almost an hour choosing her clothes, as ridiculous as that was. Just like she would have been a high school girl preparing for her first date. She had tried to remind herself that she was a grown woman, over a thousand years old, but the truth was that she might have as well been a high school girl. This whole thing was nothing but foreign to her. The dress she had finally chosen was cute, but she hoped not too girly, light pink long sleeve crochet tulle dress. She had hoped that it would make her look confident, but also womanly.

"I hope you didn't have any problems…sneaking out?" Tristan continued, trying his best to sound serious.

Livia smiled; obviously she knew how ridiculous this whole situation was.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry about all of this…"

"You don't have to be, I understand." He paused and smiled. "There is something… exciting about these secret meetings."

Livia hoped that she could feel the same way, but she was mostly worried about Tristan's safety. Was it selfish of her to agree to meet him? Suddenly the whole thought started to irritate her. She had the right to meet whoever she wanted; no one had the right to deny that. Maybe Eli was overprotective, but he wasn't like Nik who had killed many Rebekah's lovers and daggered her after finding out about her and Marcel. Eli wasn't like that. He wasn't. Yet some part of her hesitated.

 _"My Livy…"_

There was a part of Eli none of their other siblings knew about, but Livia did. She had seen it. He had never hurt her or anything like that, but he had a very dark side. A possessive side. She had seen glimpses of it when some men had tried to approach her. She hadn't been interested in those men because she had known that they hadn't really been interested in her, but now… What would happen if Eli would find out about Tristan? She shouldn't be here, she should…"

"Livia?" Tristan said. "Is something wrong?"

"I… Maybe I should leave, I… My brother…"

"Livia," Tristan said firmly and cupped her face. "We talked about this, you don have to worry. If you want to leave because _you_ don't want to be here, I won't stop you, but I'm not going to let you go because your family treats you like a child. Tell me, do _you_ want to leave?"

Slowly she shook her head.

"No."

He smiled and gently caressed her cheek.

"I'm glad to hear that. Please, come in."

She still felt somewhat nervous as she looked around in the suite. Of course it was a presidential suite, she couldn't imagine Tristan settling for anything less. She noticed the there were plenty of fresh flowers and candles around the living room. Everything looked…perfect.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Tristan asked. "Wine?"

"Yes, please," she replied. Wine was the only alcoholic beverage she enjoyed and she suspected that he knew that.

"Red or white?"

"Surprise me," she replied, trying her best to sound carefree.

"Hmm," he hummed while pouring something into her glass. "How does Merlot sounds to you?"

"My favorite."

"Wonderful. Shall we take a seat then?"

Livia swallowed as Tristan sat the two glasses of wine down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Slowly she sat down and pulled the hem of her dress down over her knees and flattened it against her thighs.

"You seem nervous," Tristan said gently before sitting next to her.

"No, no, I…" She paused and sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

He smiled and touched her hand.

"It's alright, Livia. You have no reason to be nervous."

It was easy for him to say. She felt ridiculous and pathetic; apparently she really was a high school girl.

"What can I do to help you to relax?" he asked.

She didn't know what to say, she was too embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say. "This is just…very foreign to me."

Tristan took her hand and kissed it.

"I understand and I want you to know that we are in no hurry. I would like to start by apologizing."

"Why?" she asked.

He bit his bottom lip.

"What happened between you and me all those years ago… I'm not going to say that I'm sorry that it happened, that would be a lie. But I truly am sorry that it happened that way. You would have deserved so much better."

She looked at him in wonder.

"Tristan, that was a thousand years ago…"

"Yes, but it was your first time. Your only time."

She really wouldn't have wanted to talk about that and apparently he noticed that.

"I apologize; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. What I wanted to say was that… I want you to know that I won't pressure you into anything, I will wait for as long as…"

She muffled the rest of his sentence with a kiss. He was surprised, but he didn't hesitate to kiss her back.

"I don't want to wait," she murmured.

He licked his lips.

"Thank god, me neither."

She giggled before kissing him again, this time more hungrily. She felt more than ready for finally becoming a real woman.


	26. Chapter 26

**Warning, mature content.**

* * *

 **Part 26**

Livia startled as Tristan lifted her up into his arms and carried her across the living room.

"Are you really going to carry me?" she giggled, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Yes," Tristan replied smiling. "I would like to do this properly this time."

She didn't say anything; she just pressed her cheek to the side of his neck. He had waited for this for so long, but he had no intention to rush. This night would be about her, not about him. He doubted that she had enjoyed her first time very much, but he intended to make sure that this time would be different.

"I want to know everything about you," he whispered in her ear as he carried her to the bedroom.

"I'm not very interesting," she replied. "As you have probably noticed by now."

"You couldn't be more wrong," he argued and gently lied her down on the king size bed. The bedcover and the sheets were the finest satin, just like he had requested. He knew that she liked satin. After admiring her for a moment, he lit up few candles.

"Is this alright?" he asked.

She nodded, clearly trying not to look nervous. He smiled at her warmly.

"Is there anything you need? Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, I… Could you turn off the lights?"

"Livia, you have absolutely no reason to be embarrassed, you are beautiful…"

"No, it's not that," she cut in. "I… I like candlelight."

"Oh. In that case, sure."

He turned the lights off, walked over to the bed and sat next to her. She was on her side, looking at him expectantly. He couldn't help but to think that she looked like a student who was expecting her teacher to give her some instructions. That was very sweet. Her innocence was nothing but delightful. Gently he rolled them so she was on her back underneath him. He shifted a little to the side and kissed her long and slow while his hand roamed over her chest and neck. She shivered as his fingertips tickled her collarbone.

"Tell me something about yourself," he hummed while his lips touched her neck.

"Now?"

He smiled and slowly pulled her dress down from her shoulders until her breasts were bare. She wasn't wearing bra and it seemed that she didn't need to; she had firm and perky breasts.

"Yes, now," he hummed as he ran his fingers delicately over her breasts and leaned down to kiss them. She gasped and shivered.

"What…what do you want to know?"

She gasped again as he took one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked it. Instinctively she arched beneath him, wanting to bring her breasts closer to his mouth.

"Tell me something," he hummed before moving to her other nipple.

She let out a soft moan.

"I… I… I have a cat," she panted.

"I love cats," he purred and slid his hand beneath her dress. "What else?"

"There is…something," she panted as his fingers caressed her inner thigh.

"Yes, my lovely?"

"I will…punch you very soon if… if you don't stop talking."

He chuckled and kissed her on the lips.

"Forgive me, my sweet lady."

She didn't have time to reply when he slid his fingers inside her panties and started to draw slow circles with his thumb. Her eyes widened as the shock of the sudden pleasure hit her, making her try to close her legs. He didn't allow that, gently but firmly he kept her legs open and continued stimulating the most sensitive parts of her. It didn't take long before she came.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

Apparently she couldn't form any words, but she nodded. He smiled and pulled her panties down her legs.

"Good."

Gently he slipped a finger inside her. She tensed immediately.

"Does this hurt?" he asked.

"A little," she murmured.

He could tell that she very tight. Well, she had only had sex once and that had been a thousand years ago.

"Do you want me to stop?"

She shook her head.

"No, I… I just need a little time to adjust. If you could take it slow…"

"Yes, of course."

Carefully he moved his finger in and out. When her body started to relax a little, he added a second finger. She winced and her whole body tensed from the pain.

"I'm sorry…" he started.

"No, this is my fault," she murmured, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it just hurts a lot."

"You have no reason to apologize," he assured. "We can stop here if you want. Or…"

"Or what?" she asked when he didn't continue.

He smiled and pulled open the top drawer of the nightstand. She looked at him cautiously when he picked up a small tube.

"This is lube," he said and paused for a brief moment. "Do you know…?"

"I know what it is," she huffed. "I haven't spent the last centuries in a cave."

"Forgive me," he said smiling. "I wanted to be sure before…making any suggestions."

"I see. We should try it if you think it could help," she stated, sounding calm.

"Are you sure?" he asked gently.

She nodded.

"Yes, but I have one condition."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What can I do for my lady?"

She bit her bottom lip, trying to look confident.

"Well… I'm lying here half naked and you still have all your clothes on. I think that's hardly fair."

Tristan smiled warmly, he couldn't believe how lucky he was for having this woman in his bed. He would most definitely try his best to give her the night she would have deserved all those years ago.


	27. Chapter 27

**Warning, mature content.**

* * *

 **Part 27**

Livia bit her bottom lip as she watched Tristan taking his clothes off. She couldn't deny that she was nervous. His eyes were on her the whole time and he smiled. Calmingly, like she would have been some timid animal. He was standing next to the bed, unzipping his pants. His upper body was already bare and she wasn't quite sure where to look at. As pathetic as it was, she ended up staring up at the ceiling.

"Is everything alright, my sweet?" he asked gently.

She nodded, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Yes, I… I just…" She paused and sighed. "I'm sorry, but the thing is that I haven't really… seen a naked man before. I mean, of course I have read books and seen pictures, but… You know. When we were together, I didn't really… see you."

He was quiet for a brief moment before replying, she felt him staring at her.

"Would you like to take a look?"

"Yes," she murmured, feeling nervous and embarrassed.

He waited patiently until she managed to look at him. Curiously she observed his naked body, she found it intriguing.

"So… Are you planning to just stand there?" she stated, managing to sound a little more confident.

He smiled and joined her in the bed. For a moment they simply lied there, looking at each other. Livia started to feel more relaxed as Tristan caressed her cheek and stroked her hair.

"May I touch you?" she asked.

He was clearly surprised and amused by her question and once again she felt embarrassed. She didn't really know what the proper way to do these things was, so she wanted to play it safe.

"Yes, my sweet, you may."

She smiled innocently and reached out to touch his chest, but instead she touched his manhood. His eyes widened and he gasped as she ran her fingers over his length and then wrapped her hand around it and squeezed gently, making him groan in pleasure. His reaction gave her more confidence, she had studied for this. She had memorized all the nerve endings located in this area and read about the techniques to stimulate them correctly in order to give a man as much pleasure as possible. Of course she hadn't had a chance to practice, but hopefully he would like this. Apparently he did.

"Oh God! Oh God Livia!"

It seemed that she was on the right track, so she continued stimulating his nerve endings. His whole body was shaking and he his groans sounded almost desperate. That was good, at least she thought so. She couldn't deny that she was also proud of herself for being able to make him react like this. Yet she startled a little as he climaxed.

"God…" he murmured after catching his breath. "What was that?"

"Was it good?" she asked.

He turned to look at her and burst into laughter.

"Good? I would say that was much more than good. How did you…"

"I studied," she murmured. "That's what bookworms do."

He smiled at her and touched her cheek.

"You are an incredible woman, Livia Mikaelson. And I am a very lucky man."

"Yes, you are," she replied and kissed his hand.

Gently he helped her to take her dress off and stretched out on top of her. She liked feeling his bare chest pressing against her breasts.

"Shall we try the lube?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yes."

He kissed her before pulling away from her.

"Alright, open your legs as wide as you can."

She complied the best way she could, she felt nervous again.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he said calmingly. "I'll stop immediately if you want me to." He paused and opened the cap of the lube. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she murmured.

The liquid felt cold on his fingertips, it made her flinch.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No, it's fine. Don't stop."

She tried her best to relax her muscles, but she didn't really succeed.

"You know," he stated. "This is a strawberry flavored lube. I happen to love strawberries."

She broke into a nervous snigger.

"You're really not helping."

He grinned.

"Sorry about that, my sweet. I'm going to try to open you a little now. Tell me immediately if it hurts."

"Sure," she murmured, she was trying to brace herself.

Very carefully he slipped a finger inside her. There was no pain.

"Does this…"

"No, keep going," she cut in.

He added a second finger and started gently to spread them apart inside her. It felt foreign, but didn't really hurt. He gave her time to adjust before pushing his fingers deeper.

"How does this feel?"

"Not bad. There's no pain."

"Good. Shall we…?"

"Yes."

Carefully he pulled his fingers out of her and settled on top of her.

"I love you, Livia…"

She startled when the knocking started. Someone was practically banging on the door. Tristan cursed.

"I'm so sorry; I specifically ordered not to be disturbed…"

"That's alright," she murmured.

Reluctantly he got up and grabbed a bathrobe.

"I'm sorry, I will be right back."

She sighed and rolled on her back after he had left the room. Hopefully they would be able to continue, she really wanted…

"Livia."

She gasped when she suddenly heard Lucien's voice. He was standing next to the bed. Quickly she tried to cover her naked body.

"What…what are you doing here?"

"There's no time to explain," he said. "Elijah is almost here, he's in the elevator."

Livia's eyes widened.

"What?"

No more than a second later she was on her feet, Lucien was handing her the dress.

"We must leave, right now."


	28. Chapter 28

**Part 28**

Elijah was more than furious as he kicked the door to Tristan's hotel suite open. That damn weasel was about to die. No one took advantage of his Livy. What Elijah couldn't understand was why had she come here. He had noticed that she was missing and had been on his way to look for her when he had run into Hayley. She had said that she had seen Livy coming here.

At first Elijah had thought that Lucien was staying here, but then he had found out about Tristan. Elijah hadn't known that Tristan was in New Orleans and he certainly couldn't understand why Livy had come here by herself. Was this what she had been hiding from Elijah? If Tristan had hurt her… Elijah stormed in and saw Tristan sitting on the sofa with some blonde woman. She was very beautiful. They both turned to look at him.

"Elijah," Tristan stated and stood up. "This is a surprise. What brings you here?"

"Where's my sister?" Elijah snarled.

Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't know. She is not here, if that is what you're thinking. There is no one here apart from Lauren and myself."

"Hello," the blonde greeted Elijah smiling.

For a brief moment Elijah wasn't sure what to think. Was it possible that Hayley had been mistaken?

"I'm sure you don't mind if I look around," he stated coolly.

"No, of course not. May I ask why you think your sister would be here?"

Elijah didn't reply, quickly he searched the whole suite. Livy wasn't here.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Tristan asked.

"No, I need to go."

"Oh. Well, I hope you will find your sister. If you need some assistance…"

"I don't. We shall talk later."

"Of course. It is always a pleasure to see you."

Elijah gritted his teeth while marching out. Where was his Livy?

* * *

"Well…" Lucien stated. "That was close."

Livia couldn't reply, she was still too embarrassed. Of course she needed to thank Lucien and she would, but first she needed a moment to pull herself together. Everything had happened so quickly, she and Lucien had got out of the window just in time. Now they were in the room below the suite. Some woman had come into the suite with Lucien; she had made the bed within a second while Tristan had got dressed. According to Lucien, the woman worked for him. Livia was standing in front of the window, she couldn't face Lucien yet. Apparently one night as a normal woman was too much to ask.

"Hey… Are you alright, darling?" Lucien asked.

"Sure," Livia murmured. "That wasn't embarrassing at all."

"Look, I'm sorry for barging in like that, but there was no time…"

"I know and I owe you for what you did. It was just a very…intimate moment for me."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," Lucien replied. He sounded tense.

Livia turned to look at him and crossed her arms.

"Are you judging me?" she asked sharply.

"What, no. I'm just a little surprised."

"Why? You think someone like me shouldn't have sex? Is it just for beautiful people?"

"No! No, no. I meant that I'm surprised you chose Tristan. You most definitely deserve better."

"Oh please," she huffed. "You sound like Eli."

"That wasn't my intention, I can assure you. I just think…"

"Lucien, you have been a good friend and I like you, but I would appreciate if you wouldn't patronize me. I'm not some helpless little maiden who needs a prince charming to save her; I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"Trust me, I don't doubt that," Lucien replied smiling. "You are an amazing woman."

"Yes, I am. And I think I have the right to make my own decisions."

"Of course you do, but why Tristan?"

"I like him," she replied simply. "And he wants me. Perhaps this comes as a surprise to you, but I'm not exactly the kind of woman men usually want."

"Livia…"

"No, I don't want pity, I know who I am. And who I'm not." She paused and sighed. "Thank you for your help, I truly appreciate it. I need to try and talk with Eli, but if he would have found me with Tristan, I'm afraid things would have turned out very ugly. I don't want Tristan to get hurt because of me."

"Well, I'm always glad to save Tristan," Lucien murmured.

Livia smiled and took his hand.

"I know you don't like him and I'm not asking you to. Thank you for helping me."

Suddenly something crossed Livia's mind.

"By the way, how did you know that I was here?"

Lucien seemed uncomfortable.

"How did I know? Well, I…"

Livia's eyes narrowed.

"Lucien?"

"Alright," he sighed. "I came here to stop you from making a mistake."

Livia stared at him disbelievingly; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had thought that Lucien respected her enough for not to belittle her.

"A mistake?"

"Yes. Tristan doesn't deserve you…."

"Just stop it," she snapped. "You have no right to make my decisions for me, I'm not a child!"

He pressed his lips together and lowered his head.

"I know."

"Then why would you…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he suddenly cupped her face and kissed her. It wasn't a gentle kiss; his lips were hungrily devouring hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her body against his. She was too stunned to react, she didn't kiss him back, but she didn't fight him either. Not even when she felt his tongue in her mouth. He took his time before pulling away.

"You said that men wouldn't want you," he stated. "Well I do. I want you and I want you to choose me." He paused and cupped her face. "Choose me, Livia."


	29. Chapter 29

**Part 29**

Livia stared at Lucien, unable to say anything. What was going on here? Had he just kissed her and asked her to choose him over Tristan?

"Lucien…" she finally managed to say. "You're my friend and I care about you, but I don't understand… Why would you…?"

"Because you deserve better than Tristan," he cut in firmly. "Please don't think for a second that I would belittle you or say that you shouldn't have the same needs everyone else has. Of course you should. What I don't want is for you to think that you have to settle for Tristan because you don't have a choice."

Livia crossed her arms.

"You think I'm that desperate?"

"No, no, I just think… Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you don't have very much experience about men. At least not nice experience."

"What?"

Lucien pressed his lips together.

"I think you know what I mean. It's alright; we don't have to talk about it."

Livia was confused.

"Talk about what?"

"You know… That night I ran into you in the garden."

"Oh…" Livia paused and straightened her back. She wasn't going to be ashamed of herself. "If you want to call me a tramp, go ahead, I don't care…"

"What, no! Geez, no. Do you really think…" He paused and took her hand. "Livia… Whoever did that to you, surely you know it wasn't your fault?"

Now she was even more confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Lucien seemed more than uncomfortable.

"You were attacked, weren't you?"

"No, no, I wasn't."

Clearly he didn't believe her.

"Lucien," she sighed. "I wasn't attacked. Not like that. What happened was…complicated."

"I see. As I said, we don't have to talk about it; I'm not going to pressure you."

They were both quiet for a moment, before Livia spoke.

"I do appreciate your concern, but do you know why I came here tonight?"

"Well…"

"For once I wanted to be like a normal woman. Yes, you were right, I don't have much experience about men, but that doesn't mean I would want to live like a nun for the rest of my life. And I'm not some foolish young girl. When I accepted Tristan's invitation, I wasn't expecting some fairytale romance, I expected sex. He was thoughtful and treated me respectfully; he wasn't taking advantage of me. So, what I'm trying to say is that I don't need to be rescued. That's what you're trying to do now, isn't it?"

Lucien was quiet for a while before replying.

"I do care about you, Livia. And if it's sex you want, I can guarantee that I'm a much better lover than Tristan."

Livia smiled.

"I care about you too, you're a good friend. I just don't think that you would really want something more serious. I think that you're doing this because you don't like Tristan and you feel that he's trying to take something from you. Or perhaps I assume too much." She paused and kissed his cheek. "Any case, you're not going to lose me, if that is what worries you, and I hope I'm not going to lose you either."

Lucien didn't have time to reply when the door opened and Tristan entered the room.

"Is everything alright?" Livia asked, concerned that Eli had hurt Tristan.

"Yes," he replied. "Your brother left."

Livia sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"I'm so sorry, I'm really embarrassed…"

"No, please don't be," he cut in and walked over to her. "Livia…"

"You're welcome," Lucien snorted.

Tristan glanced at him coolly.

"Is there a reason why you are still here?"

Lucien smiled.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Please, don't," Livia sighed before they managed to get started. "I… I think I better go, I need to talk to Eli and calm him down…"

"No," Tristan and Lucien said in unison.

"Livia, you're not a child," Tristan continued.

"For once I agree with him," Lucien added. "The way your family patronizes you… No offence, but it's ridiculous."

"I know," Livia replied quietly. "I'm sure both of you know how complicated this whole thing is. Eli has always looked after me and I don't want to hurt him."

She had kept saying that over and over again, like a broken record. Did that really change the fact that she wanted to be treated as a grown woman she was instead of some helpless young girl. She had the right to make her own decisions. Despite of all of that, she still had no idea how she could make Eli understand.

"He doesn't own you," Lucien stated calmly. "Surely you know that?"

Livia pressed her lips together; she really wasn't comfortable talking about this. Eli didn't mean any harm, he was just very protective. She didn't think that she would even be alive if he wouldn't have taken her under his wing since the moment she had been born. When she had been a small child, he had been her whole world. He had got used to being her whole world. Now she should find a way to tell him that she wanted something more. She startled a little when Tristan suddenly touched her hair.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Just tired. This wasn't exactly the night I expected."

He smiled.

"It still can be."

Livia glanced at Lucien who was rolling his eyes.

"Charming," he snorted.

Tristan gave him an ice-cold glare.

"I believe you should leave now."

"I don't think so…"

"Lucien, please. No fighting." Livia paused and limped over to the bed. She felt the need to sit down; her head had started to hurt. Tristan sat down beside her and kissed her hand. Lucien followed his example, probably because he wanted to annoy Tristan. The whole situation was absurd to say the least. Just one normal night, that was all she had hoped. Apparently things could never be so easy for her.


End file.
